GLOBALIST The Yale
An Undergraduate Magazine of International Affairs
Spring 2010 / Vol. 10, Issue 3
Breaking News, Breaking Convention New Models of Journalism from Around the World
Lunchtime in Mumbai 6 Afghanistan’s Indiana Jones 28 Justice for Sudan’s President? 33
The Yale Institution for Social and Policy Studies The Yale University Interdisciplinary Center for Bioethics The Program in Agrarian Studies Ethics, Politics, and Economics as an Undergraduate Major The Interdisciplinary Introduction to Statistics Program Center for the Study of American Politics
The Yale Institution for Social and Policy Studies (ISPS) strives to facilitate interdisciplinary inquiry in the social sciences and research into important public policy.
An Undergraduate Magazine of International Affairs Spring 2010 / Vol. 10, Issue 3 www.tyglobalist.org
This magazine is published by students of Yale College. Yale University is not responsible for its contents.
DEAR
GLOBALIST The Yale
GLOBALIST
READERS,
N
ewspapers in the United States have spilled oceans of ink lamenting their declining fortunes over the last few years. In this issue of the Globalist, we aim to offer a perspective on journalism that looks beyond the borders (and anxieties) of developed North America. Instead
of headlines about layoffs or circulation cuts, within these pages you’ll find articles which highlight both the promise and the perils of journalism around the world.
Send comments, questions, and letters to the editor to alexander.soble@yale.edu.
This issue includes several exciting articles written by freshmen. In “The Talk of the Town,” Jessica Shor profiles Alfred Sirleaf, a Liberian man who has dedicated himself to providing the daily news for free via blackboard, convinced that increased access to information can bring peace to his country. A continent away, Erin Biel’s “Little Voices, Resounding Change” examines a program which
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gives children from India’s most marginalized communities the tools to become journalists and advocates for their own cause. Of course, no issue focusing on journalism could ignore the pressures and hazards that make reporting a potentially life-threatening occupation in many countries. Kanglei Wang’s Perspectives piece offers a meditation on the dangers of pursuing journalism in China, from the years of the Cul-
Journalism Advisory Board Steven Brill, Yale Dept. of English Nayan Chanda, Director of Publications, MacMillan Center Daniel Kurtz-Phelan, Foreign Affairs Jef McAllister, Time Magazine Nathaniel Rich, The Paris Review Fred Strebeigh, Yale Dept. of English
tural Revolution to today, while Carlos Gomez reports on Cuban bloggers who risk their safety to make their voices heard. Finally, in this issue’s main article, Cat Cheney takes up an often-ignored element of the U.S. newspaper crisis: the transformation of foreign correspondence, a process which promises to alter how Americans see the world. You’ll find equally intriguing articles outside of the journalism section. In Culture, Alon Harish analyzes Afro-Peruvian music’s journey beyond the Andes. In Politics & Economy, Adèle Rossouw delves into the taxi drivers’ strikes which have crippled Johannesburg. And Monica Landy inaugurates a brand new section, Science & Technology, with an article on Japan’s drive to build robots to care for its rapidly aging population.
Academic Advisory Board Harvey Goldblatt, Professor of Medieval Slavic Literature, Master of Pierson College Donald Green, Director, Institution for Social and Policy Studies Charles Hill, Yale Diplomat-in-Residence Ian Shapiro, Director, MacMillan Center Ernesto Zedillo, Director, Yale Center for the Study of Globalization
Enjoy! Yours,
Alex Soble Editor-in-Chief, The Yale Globalist
Production & Design Editor Christina Lin Online Editor Catherine Osborn
ON THE COVER:
South Korean newspapers report on the release of hostages held in Afghanistan, August 2007.
Assistant Production Editors Raisa Bruner, Anjali Jotwani, Eli Markham Production Staff Meaghan Barr, Anna Kellar
Editor-in-Chief Alex Soble
Executive Director Alice Walton
Managing Editors Jeffrey Kaiser, Rishabh Khosla, Emma Sokoloff-Rubin, Alison Weiner
Publisher Courtney Fukuda
Associate Editors Rae Ellen Bichell, Raphaella Friedman, Uzra Khan, Alexander Klein, Angela Ramirez Copy Editor Alexander Krey
(76371603/Chung Sung-Jun/Courtesy Getty Images) Pictures from CreativeCommons used under Attribution Noncommercial license. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/
Editors Emeritus Maria Blackwood, Jesse Marks, Pete Martin, Emma Vawter
Editors-at-Large Catherine Cheney, Amila Golic, Rachel Wolf
Director of Development George Bogden Events Coordinator Joanna Cornell Assistant Events Coordinator Joseph Bolognese Business Mentors Gemma Bloemen, Brad Schecter, Amira Valliani
CONTENTS Spring 20 1 0 / Vo l . 1 0 , I s s u e 3
FOCUS: Journalism FOREIGN
CORRESPONDENCE
17
IN FLUX
Financial pressures, new technologies, and changing expectations are transforming the future of foreign reporting. By Catherine Cheney
Voices, 12 Little Resounding Change A UNICEF journalism initiative in India teaches disadvantaged children to speak up about the hardships they face daily. By Erin Biel
14 The Talk of the Town
In post-war Liberia, Alfred Sirleaf sees access to information as the key to peace. By Jessica Shor
21
Q&A: A Conversation with Nicholas Kristof
Courtesy Flickr Creative Commons
22 Peace Through Print
The island of Cyprus has long been the site of ethnic conflict between Turkish and Greek factions. Could reforming journalistic practices help bring about peace? By Emily Sosangelis
Emerging 23 Cuba’s Blogosphere In spite of government repression and limited access to the Internet, Cuban bloggers are determined to make their voices heard. By Carlos Gomez
By Jeffrey Kaiser
The Yale Globalist is a member of Global21, a network of student-run international affairs magazines at premier universities around the world.
Visit our website at www.tyglobalist.org for additional reporting, online exclusives, and blogs by Globalist writers.
POLITICS & ECONOMY 6 | The Lunch Box Men At lunchtime in Mumbai, 20,000 office-goers can sit down and enjoy their own hot, home-cooked food, thanks to the city’s band of dedicated, error-free dabbawalas. By Uzra Khan
7 | Are We Moving Yet? 6
In South Africa’s commercial capital, destructive strikes and slow negotiations threaten to bring a major public transportation project to a standstill. By Adèle Rossouw
8 | Ten Million Voices In Colombia, new media moves millions to march against the FARC. By Diego Salvatierra
9 | Invisible City An ambitious proposal to expand Venice’s port threatens to overwhelm the lagoon’s already fragile ecosystem while excluding the city’s residents from the process. By Charlotte Parker 8
10 | Climate-Proofing the Netherlands The Netherlands prepares itself for an era of rising sea levels. By Anne van Bruggen
11 | Defiance in Dubai For Dubai’s immigrant workers, the financial crisis has brought further hardship but also an opportunity to challenge the unfair conditions under which they work. By Shashwat Udit
CULTURE 25 | Shining in the Rough Beijing’s “it” galleries find a new home in an unlikely neighborhood. By Helena Malchione
26 | Compiling a Culture The international success of Afro-Peruvian music has brought a once-obscure tradition into the potentially distorting glare of the spotlight. By Alon Harish
28 | The Eroded Face of Afghanistan 25
Archaeologist Zemaryalai Tarzi seeks the country’s history in its sandstone cliffs. By Rae Ellen Bichell
SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 31 | Robots that Care? For better or for worse, Japan looks to robots to fill the gaps that will soon be left by the world’s fastest aging population. By Monica Landy
PERSPECTIVES 33 | The Hunt for Al-Bashir The President of Sudan has evaded standing trial for the genocide in Darfur. What does this mean for global justice? By Sibjeet Mahapatra 33
34 | Journalism in China: A Memoir and a Future? For my family, stepping down the path of journalism is cause for fear as well as hope. By Kanglei Wang
6 POLITICS & ECONOMY Spring 2010
The Lunch Box Men At lunchtime in Mumbai, 20,000 office-goers can sit down and enjoy their own hot, home-cooked food, thanks to the city’s band of dedicated, error-free dabbawalas. By Uzra Khan
W
ith a twinkle in his eye and his traditional white Nehru hat placed jauntily on his head, Gangaram Tarekar, secretary of
the Nutan Mumbai Tiffin Box Suppliers Association (NMTBSA), arrived at his destination in Mumbai and, true to his profession, was right on time. The NMTBSA, popularly known as the dabbawalas, delivers boxes of steaming, home-cooked food to 200,000 Mumbai office-goers everyday. For the equivalent of seven to nine U.S. dollars a month, this lunch-delivery service even includes returning the empty boxes to each subscriber’s house. The dabbawalas keep the city fed, pumping food through its veins of public transport. Even during the horrific Mumbai monsoon season, the dabbawalas manage to find a way through floods and train delays to deliver lunch. “Dabba” means “lunch box” in Hindi, and “wala” means “man.” These 5,000 “lunch box men” started their business over a hundred preferred home-cooked meals to the foreign food provided by their
The illiterate dabbawalas use their own codes to distinguish each of the 20,000 lunch boxes they handle daily. (Courtesy Meena Kadri/Flickr)
British employers. Today, the dabbawalas are a force to be reckoned
sults; our brothers in the offices don’t get the lunch that their wives,
with. Their trademark: they make no mistakes. Their error rate is
mothers, and daughters have prepared for them with so much care.”
years ago when India was still under British rule. Indian office-goers
one in 16 million, and in 2001, Forbes Global magazine gave them a rating of Six Sigma, or 99.999 percent accuracy.
The dabbawalas’ remarkable drive has been recognized internationally by the likes of Prince Charles, Richard Branson, and Bill Clin-
Over the years the dabbawalas have evolved from a small group of
ton, all of whom have traveled to India to meet them. Tarekar, in fact,
business partners to a large organization, managed by an administra-
was one of the guests at Prince Charles’ wedding to Camilla Parker
tive trust under the command of an elected president and secretary.
Bowles. “We really liked Prince Charles, he was always so punctual
Yet they retain the characteristics of a brotherhood. They all belong
when he met us,” said Tarekar, smiling.
to the same caste — the Malvas — and dress in the same white garb
In keeping with changing times, the dabbawalas now have their
and white Nehru hats. As Tarekar said in rapid Hindi, “We only take
own website and offer subscriptions by text message. Even more
new dabbawalas from our own people. Forty percent of dabbawalas
striking is the little effort they put into advertising: they rely solely
got into the profession because their father was in it before, and there
on word-of-mouth. Mumbai’s dabbawalas have no plans to expand to
is a rigorous 6-month training process for each new dabbawala, and
other cities in India. As Tarekar put it, “Mumbai is perfect for us. It
it is in this time that we decide if we like him.”
is a long and narrow city, and it has an excellent train system. We
How do the dabbawalas perpetually avoid mistakes? It’s easy to
wouldn’t be able to function elsewhere. Only in Mumbai can you find
imagine reams of addresses and names, a secret computer database
such a variety of people with such a variety of home-cooked food.” He
somewhere in Mumbai updated regularly to accommodate their
is unfazed about what the future holds: “The future? We’ll work, we’ll
growing clientele. But most dabbawalas are illiterate. Their method
eat, and we’ll enjoy ourselves! The moon won’t change, the sun won’t
is shockingly simple: “We work on memory. If you subscribe to us to-
change, the sky won’t change. People will change, but their hunger
day, one of our brothers will come to your house tomorrow to memo-
for a home-cooked meal will not. And as long as that doesn’t change,
rize its location, and go to your office to do the same. The day after
we will not either.”
tomorrow he will come to collect your dabba,” said Tarekar proudly. Apart from this amazing absence of error, the dabbawalas pride
With a chuckle, a namaste, and a bow of his Nehru hat, Mr. Gangaram Tarekar is off — he can’t be late for his next appointment.
themselves on almost never going on strike. “Error is horror. Strike is suicide,” Tarekar said in broken English. “A strike has disastrous re-
Uzra Khan is a sophomore Psychology major in Trumbull College.
POLITICS & ECONOMY 7 the yale globalist
Are We Moving Yet? In South Africa’s commercial capital, destructive strikes and slow negotiations threaten to bring a major public transportation project to a standstill. By Adèle Rossouw
“I
f we hear there’s a taxi strike, we know that there will be no transport to get to work. People who are desperate start walk-
ing, you don’t dare take the bus,” Aida Moyo explained. “If taxi drivers see you getting into buses they will shoot you, or they will burn the vehicle.” Moyo is a native Zimbabwean who, like so many others, came to Johannesburg in search of work. “These taxi strikes affect everybody. You find everybody is in fear.” Moyo is just one of thousands of members of the South African workforce who were paralyzed by a series of taxi driver strikes throughout 2009. The protestors expressed outrage over the government’s implementation of a new mass transit system. Modeled on the transport networks of South American cities, the Bus Rapid Transit System (BRT) was designed to upgrade Johannesburg’s public transport in preparation for the 2010 FIFA World Cup. Taxi drivers, who have long been the key providers of public transport in the city, feared they would lose their customers to the government-subsidized BRT buses. The BRT system, which was renamed Rea Vaya (“we are moving” in the Sotho language) by the Department of Transport, was launched in August 2009. Before then, more than 70 percent of Johannesburg’s public transport users depended on the city’s chaotic mass of minibus taxis. The limited number of buses and trains could do little to compete with the taxis’ vast, unregulated network of vehicles, which are a fast and cheap means of transport. Such advantages, however, come at a price. Taxis are notorious for reckless speeding, poor vehicle maintenance, and — after the government’s implementation of the first phase of Rea Vaya — violent repression of competitors. The BRT system’s main line runs through central Johannesburg from Soweto Township to the Ellis Park Stadium, a route once dominated by taxis. Protests by taxi drivers started in March 2009 and brought movement in the city to a standstill. The Ministry of Transport is nevertheless determined to implement Rea Vaya. “This project will continue to develop, both before and after the World Cup,” stated Ibrahim Seedat, the ministry’s director of public transport policies. In recognition of the service that the taxi industry has been providing, the ministry committed to employing taxi drivers who would lose clients to the BRT system. Taxi owners will become shareholders in companies which will eventually run Rea Vaya on behalf of the city. “The government has stated repeatedly that there will be no loss of legitimate jobs or profits,” said Seedat. Such promises have induced members of the taxi industry to enter into negotiations with the City of Johannesburg. By December 14, 2009, the two largest taxi organizations involved in the negotiations, the Greater Johannesburg Regional Taxi Council and the Top Six Taxi Association, had signed a memorandum of understanding with
As the taxi drivers of Johannesburg strike, their vehicles sit idle in the streets. (Courtesy Pierre Rossouw) the city. The agreement did not commit taxi operators to any part of the implementation of Rea Vaya. “How will taxi operators be compensated? What will their shareholding in the BRT companies be? These are matters which we are discussing at the moment,” stated Frans Mashishi, secretary general of the Gauteng Taxi Council. “I can’t say with certainty that these people will get jobs. There are still some who are against the implementation of BRT.” The first phase of Rea Vaya replaced 575 taxis with 143 BRT buses, but this number represents only a small proportion of the 25,000 taxis in the city. An approved fleet of drivers has been hired to transport soccer fans for the duration of the World Cup, but only the bus route from Soweto to Ellis Park will be operational. If Rea Vaya is to develop into a superior alternative to Johannesburg’s chaotic taxi network, it will have to incorporate the labor and territory currently controlled by taxis. The Ministry of Transport hopes that peaceful negotiations with the taxi industry will continue, but no agreement has yet been reached. While the power struggle continues, members of the public are impatient for an improved means of public transport. “If only these problems with the taxis could simply disappear!” lamented Moyo. “Then everybody could travel to work. Everybody would be safer.” Adèle Rossouw is a freshman in Trumbull College.
8 POLITICS & ECONOMY spring 2010
Ten Million Voices In Colombia, new media moves millions to march against the FARC. By Diego Salvatierra
D
eep in Colombia’s jungle, on February 4th, 2008, several hostages of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC)
guerrilla group huddled around a contraband AM radio, listening to the crackling chant: “Libertad, libertad, libertad.” They were hearing the shouts of five million protesters across Colombia calling for an end to the FARC and its terrorist tactics, which have fueled violence in the country since 1964. The marches became the largest and clearest public outcry in Colombian history. The hostages would later say that it was the brightest day of their ordeal, bringing them a glimmer of hope. And it was all due to a single Facebook group, created by 33-year-old Colombian engineer Oscar Morales. “Deep inside, I knew I couldn’t take it anymore,” said Morales, describing the frustration with the FARC and its violent guerilla tactics, which include the kidnapping of civilians. In response, Morales started the group “A Million Voices Against the FARC.” It grew exponentially; within 12 hours, 1,500 members had joined. Within a day, 4,000. After one week, over 150,000. Discussion groups proliferated, followed by the moment that set this particular group apart: Someone suggested they take concrete action. With his supporters’ help, Morales organized marches to be staged in Colombia and around the world. The group’s growth seized headlines in the mainstream Colombian media. On the day of the protests, nearly five million people, one-tenth of the country’s population, poured into Colombia’s streets. Five million more marched in hundreds of other cities worldwide in a massive show of solidarity. Since Facebook began, thousands of groups have appeared seeking “a million members” in support of their cause. Most die off before they reach 1,000. According to Erin Mazursky, co-founder and former director of the activist group STAND: A Student Anti-Genocide Coalition, what set Morales’s movement apart was that it took “tangible action, not just online action.” Once core members of the groups decided to act, dedication became crucial, said Morales. From the start, he wanted to “do things right, to shine above other groups,” and began devoting almost all his time to planning the marches. Over 200 local organizers coordinated their actions using Google Docs for instantaneous file sharing. Stylized logos for the movement’s new homepage were posted on the sites of other organizations, and Colombians living abroad translated the homepage of “A Million Voices” into 17 languages. Their use of online media to mobilize people has so far been unmatched in scope, but many hope it can serve as an example. Morales himself has been invited to speak at the Facebook headquarters in Palo Alto, California, and to several new media conferences. The marches of February 4 also marked the beginning of a year of defeats for the FARC. Throughout 2008, President Alvaro Uribe’s government had unusual success in liberating hostages, bringing down FARC leaders, and demobilizing guerrillas. It remains un-
Protesters take to the streets of Colombia on February 4, 2008. (Courtesy Oscar Morales and El Tiempo) clear whether the marches sparked these efforts, but as Morales put it, “historically the military solution by itself hasn’t gotten the job done.” After the marches, the guerrilla group’s full name, FARC-EP (EP standing for “People’s Army”), has been used far less by media and the FARC itself. According to Morales, a few guerrilleros even said that the marches convinced them to abandon the fight. Angela Londono, a Colombian student studying at Yale, noted that people “feel safer mainly because the military has gotten stronger.” She agreed, though, that the marches were “a way to unite Colombians” and show that “there was consensus” against the FARC. Undoubtedly, the marches allowed millions of people to make their frustrations public. Before the marches, “people commented on the streets, but there was no mass show of indignation,” explained Morales. Mazurky emphasized that the timing of such demonstrations is crucial, but so is the commitment of those involved. “It starts with a moment, but it’s what you do with that moment: That is really the important part.” Diego Salvatierra is a freshman in Pierson College.
POLITICS & ECONOMY 9 the yale globalist
Invisible City An ambitious proposal to expand Venice’s port threatens to overwhelm the lagoon’s already fragile ecosystem while excluding the city’s residents from the process. By Charlotte Parker
L
ooking out from streets on the edges of Venice, it is impos-
can be managed through judicious use of the MoSE system.” MoSE
sible to ignore the dark forms that dot the city’s lagoon. Dredg-
(Experimental Electromechanical Module) is a flood defense system
ing machines idle like large mechanical birds in the middle of
consisting of giant mobile underwater gates positioned where the Ve-
calm water, auguring the development that Italian officials and the
netian lagoon meets the Adriatic Sea.
Port Authority argue will transform Venice into a central hub for the
But MoSE is simply a tidal flood control system. It cannot protect
maritime trade of the 21st century. But to concerned activists, the
the city against damage wrought by large scale excavation, wrote
machines represent a change that will irreparably damage the city of
Tom Spencer of Cambridge University in “The Venice Report.”
Venice and its ecosystem.
The controversy surrounding the port enlargement proposal in-
On May 11, 2009, Paolo Costa, former mayor of Venice and now
tensifies the ongoing debate between environmentalists and policy
president of the Venice Port Authority, submitted a proposal to the
makers that began when the government first approved the MoSE
Italian Senate to further dredge the main channel into the port. The
project. Accusations of profiteering and data manipulation have
proposed dredging would expand the Port’s capacity to accommodate
flown back and forth, yet the two sides rarely enter into constructive
ships larger than 400 meters in length. The proposal forms part of
dialogue and have not consulted the residents of Venice.
a 260 million Euro plan for development of port infrastructure that
The city has not officially heard the port expansion proposal.
aims to make Venice a rail, road, and sea hub serving Italy and East-
Francesca Meneghetti, an employee of the Environmental Manage-
Central Europe.
ment Department of Venice, resignedly said that the municipality
The channels dredged for port traffic, however, have been “ac-
would doubtless be against it. Historic Venice and its inhabitants
celerating the ongoing natural erosion in the lagoon,” according to
are politically impotent. The central Italian government has first say
biologist and Venice resident Jane da Mosto. The prospect of inten-
in most city matters because it supplies the majority of funding for
sifying port activities is “deeply worrying for those concerned with
public works projects. The municipality has only a 2.5 percent share
safeguarding Venice,” wrote da Mosto and Professor Luigi D’Alpaos
in the Port and no legal control over the state-owned waterways in
of the University of Padua in “The Venice Report,” a comprehensive
question. The hierarchy of political power — the Italian government
study by British non-profit Venice in Peril.
at the top, followed by the Veneto Region, and finally the municipality
In 2009, D’Alpaos published research showing that port traffic
of Venice itself — leaves the city’s government little room to work for
and dredging have exacerbated the lagoon’s instability. Excavation
its constituents. For activist citizens of historic Venice, years of pro-
erodes the sedimentary deposits that protect Venice by keeping the
testing, mainly against the MoSE project, have led to little tangible
lagoon water lower than sea level. Disappearance of these sediments
action.
is linked to increased bouts of flooding and rising water levels. The Port’s proposal deflects environmental concerns by asserting that “the situation regarding the lagoon has completely changed and
The already complicated situation is further convoluted by the fact that “the average Venetian doesn’t understand what’s going on,” da Mosto explained.
A cruise ship leaving Venice dwarfs the city. Cruise ship traffic in the Port increased from 200 ships in 2000 to 510 in 2007. (Parker/TYG)
10 POLITICS & ECONOMY Spring 2010
Yet the Port’s expansion project would have very real consequences for Venice. Da Mosto emphasized that it would “exacerbate and accelerate the degradation of buildings caused by higher water levels and continue the pressure of cruise ship traffic on Venice, which effects all kinds of distortions on the local economy and excludes the permanent inhabitants of Venice.” Giovanna Benvenuti, a spokesperson for the Port, countered that the expansion would bring economic benefits, stimulating the local
Climate-Proofing the Netherlands The Netherlands prepares itself for an era of rising sea levels. By Anne van Bruggen
economy through increased ship traffic. She also noted that the expansion could have positive consequences for the environment; part of the excavation will focus on removing and treating sediment polluted by heavy metals. The debate over the future of Venice’s port has yet to yield a creative, forward-looking vision for the city, its infrastructure, and its natural environment. Alternative proposals for the development of Venice and the sur-
T
he Dutch have always fought against the sea. A quarter of the Netherlands’s land — an area that generates 65
percent of national GDP — lies below sea level. As a result, its citizens take climate change very seriously.
rounding region have garnered little airtime. Carlo Crotti, chairman
Will the Netherlands really vanish from the map, as
of the non-profit Association for Hydraulic Protection of the Vene-
Al Gore suggested in his documentary, “An Inconvenient
Accusations of profiteering and data manipulation have flown back and forth, yet the two sides rarely enter into constructive dialogue and have not consulted the residents of Venice.
Truth?” According to Marcel Stive, a member of the Dutch
tian-Paduan Territory, backs a potentially transformative model that
rise. Raising flood protection levels by a factor of 10 and cre-
would also safeguard historic Venice. He spoke of a “highway of the
ating a special delta fund to finance climate-proofing projects
sea,” a network of inland canals plied by small river-sea craft. These
through less prosperous times will cost an estimated 1.2 to 1.6
boats would deliver containers, deposited on offshore platforms by
billion Euros per year until 2050, according to experts. “It’s
large ships, via the waterways to inland ports, eliminating the need
better to be safe than sorry when you live below sea level,”
for damaging large-scale dredging.
quipped Peter C. G. Glas, director of inland water systems at
Although construction began in 1965, the waterway from Padua to Venice — a key part of this alternative system — remains incomplete.
government-appointed Delta Commission, “the problem is very urgent.” Stive cited official forecasts which predict “a regional sea level rise of 2.13 to 4.27 feet by 2100 and of 6.56 to 13.12 feet by 2200.” The Netherlands has already spent billions on a vast system of levees, dikes and floodgates, and costs are expected to
Delft Hydraulics. “We’ve had a tradition over the past century of being frightened of the water, and rightly so.”
The Port’s proposal acknowledged the value of a waterway system
As part of the scramble to reduce dependence on carbon-
and suggested further development of existing canals. This commit-
intensive sources of energy, the Dutch are turning towards
ment, however, rings hollow; the Port recently called on the central
the very force that threatens to flood their country: the sea.
government to approve a project to build a highway where the Padua-
Last year marked the inauguration of the North Sea’s larg-
Venice waterway was planned.
est offshore wind park. Its 36 windmills have a total capacity
According to Crotti, there are around ten small, grassroots asso-
of 108 megawatts, enough to power about 100,000 households.
ciations in the communities between Padua and Venice pressuring
Other initiatives include the construction of multifunctional
officials for completion of the waterway. These associations, however,
dikes, which in addition to protecting against floods have
appear fairly limited. Their challengers are the multinational compa-
been integrated with systems for transportation, irrigation,
nies who carry out the highway construction, and the central govern-
national defense and drinking water. Proposals have been
ment, which stands to make a profit from tollbooths.
floated to build a 60,000-hectare tulip-shaped island off the
Hope remains that protecting the lagoon will become a priority,
coast, which would protect the coast, shield against storms,
but da Mosto warned that time is running out. Ultimately, mobile
generate electricity and provide more space for industry and
flood barriers and large infrastructure investments will not solve
housing.
Venice’s problems. Candid discussion between all sides — govern-
Of course, none of these projects alone will be able to stop
ment, citizens, business interests, and environmental activists — is
a true climate change disaster. But the Dutch government
the only way to protect both the ecology of the lagoon and the living
and its Delta Commission hope that in the fight against global
organism of one of the world’s great cities.
warming and rising sea levels, the Netherlands will serve as an example of innovation for the rest of the world.
Charlotte Parker is a freshman in Calhoun College. Anne van Bruggen is a freshman in Silliman College.
POLITICS & ECONOMY 11 the yale globalist
Defiance in Dubai For Dubai’s immigrant workers, the financial crisis has brought further hardship but also an opportunity to challenge the unfair conditions under which they work. By Shashwat Udit
U
ntil recently, Dubai seemed like one of the world’s great success stories, replete with gleaming skyscrapers, super luxury hotels,
gigantic shopping malls, and artificial islands. Hearing the call of its splendors, workers from South Asia, youth from across the Middle East, and investors the world over poured into Dubai. Even during the boom times, though, not everyone who came to the city enjoyed its indulgences. Some lived in ramshackle housing, worked dangerous jobs under scorching desert sun, and were frequently cheated by employers. During the bubble years, the problems faced by immigrant workers could be ignored. Any attempts to organize resulted in jail or deportation. But the impact of the recent economic crisis cannot be brushed aside so lightly. When the global financial crisis struck, it became evident that cheap borrowing rather than strong fundamentals had driven Dubai’s growth. Construction projects came to a halt, companies went bankrupt, and the massive state-owned conglomerate Dubai World suspended payments on its debt, sending jitters through the financial system. However, according to Samer Muscati, United Arab Emirates researcher for Human Rights Watch, “those hardest hit by the downturn were the workers.” During the boom years, human traffickers priced passage to the promised land at thousands of dollars, meaning many workers came to Dubai already heavily indebted. Layoffs left many of them with no means to pay off their debts. Even worse, employers took advantage of the opportunity to cheat workers out of what they were owed. To avoid paying back wages, employers often waited until workers returned home to visit their families to fire them. The government of the United Arab Emirates, of which Dubai
is a constituent emirate, rejects the view that immigrant workers lack protection against exploitation. A U.A.E. government employee speaking anonymously did not deny that private companies had committed abuses, but stressed that the government’s laws and actions showed they were committed to protecting the rights of workers. The official pointed to a new electronic system for paying wages, one that makes cheating on payments impossible. Labor Minister Saqr Gobash proclaimed the new system “a model worth emulating in boosting the rights of workers.” Nonetheless, the workers are not waiting for government action. They “barely manage to survive and send money to their families,” one worker told the Associated Press. Despite being required to leave the country when they lose their jobs, many defiantly hold on to their visas. Some stay in the country illegally. Despite being forbidden to form unions, organize, and strike, they have done so. In December, workers held a strike against Robust Contracting, a company that
Dubai’s soaring towers have been built by immigrant laborers, largely from South Asia. (Wikimedia Commons) had not paid wages for three months. During the boom years, such an action would have led to jail time or deportation for the strikers. This time the U.A.E. government recognized that it had to investigate the company, not the workers. Human rights groups welcome the sentiment but retain doubts. Muscati worried that “it’s about the optics.” While well-intentioned laws are on the books, too few inspectors have been appointed to enforce them, and there have been delays and difficulties in setting up the new electronic accounts. Moreover, he readily acknowledged that the problem extends farther than the U.A.E. government. Western institutions and western corporations operating in Dubai, including the Guggenheim and New York University, contract out building projects to developers known to not respect worker’s rights. Migrant workers’ home countries, mainly in South Asia, also gain heavily from remittances, enough to make them turn a blind eye to the trafficking networks that operate within their borders. In the end, “everyone is willing to make a buck off these guys,” as Muscati explained. The root of the problem is a system that leaves workers at the mercy of their employers. Given such a skewed power dynamic, it is unsurprising that some will be tempted to exploit the helpless. The workers are already rising to challenge this order. In spite of the crisis, a Dubai that still aspires to greatness should help them on their way. Shashwat Udit is a sophomore Economics major in Silliman College.
12 FOCUS: Journalism Spring 2010
Little Voices, Resounding Change A UNICEF journalism initiative in India teaches disadvantaged children to speak up about the hardships they face daily. By Erin Biel
“W
e develop only when someone encourages us. It’s
communities marked by poverty or caste discrimination, according
like a bean plant, which grows well only if there’s a
to an official internal CRI evaluation conducted in 2008 and 2009. Dalit
stick to support it,” Samuel Venkatesan, 17, said in
Sangh, the CRI-sponsored program in Sohagpur, Madhya Pradesh,
rapid Tamil during an interview with NDTV, a news station based out
started as a result of the glaring caste discrimination toward the
of New Delhi, India. Samuel’s optimism and pride were unmistakable
dalits (members of caste groups once referred to as “untouchables”)
as he described his UNICEF-supported filmmaking projects. Sharing
in the area. Traditionally the lowest social group in the caste system,
the story of his childhood in a series of e-mail messages translated by
for centuries dalits were considered “impure” and oppressed both
Thomas George, UNICEF communications specialist for Tamil Nadu
socially and economically. While caste discrimination is illegal in
state, Samuel explained how a children’s journalism project provided
the Indian constitution, abuse of dalits remains common throughout
him with the support he needed to grow and to thrive.
much of South Asia. In 1999, major floods swept over Sohagpur and
Samuel has spent his childhood in missionary boarding hostels
the impoverished dalits living in the rural areas were left homeless.
and is now a 12th-year student at the Government Higher Secondary
However, there was absolutely no media coverage of the dalits’ plight.
School in Shoolagiri village, an impoverished community in Tamil
As Dr. Raote, director and co-founder of Dalit Sangh, remarked in
Nadu. His father deserted his family when he was five years old, and
the CRI evaluation, “Reading the biased media coverage, it felt as if
his family’s only income is the money his mother earns as a domes-
the villages did not count for anything. Why? Dalit poverty-stricken
tic helper in Bangalore. At 15, Samuel contemplated dropping out of
families suffered the most.” Along with co-founder Gopal Narayan
school and getting a job. His plans, and his life, changed when he
Authey, Raote decided to encourage young people in the community
heard that a non-profit organization called the Nalanda Way Foun-
to document issues of caste-based discrimination.
dation was coming to his district to select students for a journalism training program.
CRI reporters learn to channel their artistic passions into advocacy tools when exploring problems in their villages. The 300 child
The program, Eastside Story, selects students ages 12 to 18 to re-
reporters affiliated with Dalit Sangh write articles, poems, and
ceive mentorship in journalism, theater, performing arts, or media.
drawings for their own student-run newspaper entitled Bacchon ki
After completing their training, the students research, write about,
Pehl (Children’s Initiative). As Anil Gulati, UNICEF communications
and film stories related to pertinent issues in their communities.
specialist for Madhya Pradesh, explained, the children have month-
Their final products get published in or broadcast on local and na-
ly meetings, interact with people from media, and visit newspaper
tional media, including newspapers, magazines, radio, the Internet,
houses to understand how newspapers are published.
and television. Seeing this as perhaps his only opportunity to enrich his life, Sam-
Growing Pains
uel decided to audition for a spot in the filmmaking program. “For
CRI-affiliated programs have not been free of obstacles. Communities
the audition I was asked to speak on any topic of interest for a few
are often unwilling to look upon young people as reputable sources
minutes. I am a chatterbox and I spoke as usual.” Samuel won over
of information. Sometimes villages do not want to acknowledge such
the representatives of the Eastside Story Program with his charm.
issues as child marriages, superstition, violence against children, or
The video camera they gave him felt like the key to a new future.
caste discrimination, which are all commonly reported. According to the CRI evaluation, “The CRI is still at its infant stages, meaning that
An Army of Adolescent Advocates
implementing organizations have little or no past experience of en-
Samuel joined the ranks of over 7,000 Indian students who are part of
gaging with children.”
UNICEF’s Child Reporters Initiative (CRI), a program that now spans
The evaluation also noted that the program often does not focus
14 states in India. UNICEF launched the CRI in 2005 to help fund non-
enough on the wider dissemination of content to the general popu-
profit programs like Eastside Story and to encourage children from
lation. For instance, since many CRI initiatives are centered in ex-
marginalized communities to document the hardships they face. The
tremely impoverished communities, most families and even local offi-
structure of the program differs from state to state; UNICEF may
cials do not have televisions or computers. This reality often defeats
work directly with local non-profit organizations, establish programs
the purpose of the videos or Internet articles that the children are
with media outlets or universities, or fosters bonds with local govern-
encouraged to produce.
ments so that students can discuss policies that affect their lives with local officials. At least 90 percent of the child reporters come from marginalized
Despite these barriers, the CRI has grown substantially, especially considering its status as an “add-on” program under UNICEF, which relegates it to lower funding levels. Many of the child reporters’ arti-
FOCUS: Journalism 13 the yale globalist
Samuel Venkatesan, a child reporter from Tamil Nadu, addresses an audience at the 2009 Junior 8 Summit in Rome. (Courtesty Tamil Nadu/UNICEF) cles are regularly published in The Hindu, a national newspaper, and
we have to bring it. Not wait for others to dole it out to us. It does not
their interviews and films are shown on local cable channels as well
work like that.”
as at public events. The child reporters even have their own regularly
Through the CRI program, the child reporters not only learn to
updated blog, and the student-run newspapers have acquired mass
hone their writing skills but also learn a great deal about their in-
readership within their local communities, including local officials
ner fortitude. In Uttar Pradesh, three child reporters gave refuge to
from the education, labor, and police departments.
a 13-year-old girl who was to marry a man 15 years her senior. The
Many CRI programs have created balapanchayats, a children’s
children resisted all attempts by the community to remove the girl
version of the local governing councils found in most Indian villages,
from their home. Instead, the three reporters communicated with the
to leverage this official attention. These balapanchayats are com-
girl’s parents and local officials in such an articulate and calm man-
posed of equal numbers of boys and girls who are elected by their
ner that the marriage was called off.
peers, debate issues amongst themselves, and ultimately speak with
As for Samuel, the garrulous 17-year-old from Tamil Nadu, his
local officials regarding problems they observe in their villages. In
once bleak future now seems to have no boundaries. In July 2009,
addition, the three-hour-long balapanchayat meetings are modeled
Samuel was selected as one of three students to represent India at
off of the Indian parliamentary process, giving these students insight
the UNICEF Junior 8 Summit, which was held concurrently with the
into the inner workings of their own government.
G8 Summit in Rome. While at the Summit, Samuel was given the op-
Bright Futures on the Horizon
portunity to address the entire audience about his devotion to equal education for all. “I want free quality education for all kids in devel-
According to “Voices from the Field,” another internal CRI report,
oping countries and rights for girls,” he said. Samuel went on to pro-
discrimination against the poor in the village of Baharpur in Mad-
pose a resolution to improve education in impoverished areas of the
hya Pradesh had reached a crucial point. Ration cards, which give
world and to enact steps that help prevent girls from dropping out
access to government subsidized food stores, were unavailable to
of school. His resolution was adopted. Thanks to the CRI program’s
the village’s poorest inhabitants. Child reporters in the area decided
mentorship, Samuel feels that he has become a member of greater
to write a barrage of articles related to the scarcity of ration cards
humanity. “Until now, I belonged to a small place. But now, I am a
and poverty discrimination. The students spoke with their families,
global citizen.”
elders, and even people from other villages. Ultimately, the local panchayat responded, and now ration cards are more easily accessible to the poor. As Rukmini, a slight yet determined child reporter from Baharpur, commented in “Voices from the Field,” “If we want change,
Erin Biel is a freshman in Ezra Stiles College.
14 FOCUS: Journalism Spring 2010
The Talk of the Town In post-war Liberia, Alfred Sirleaf sees access to information as the key to peace. By Jessica Shor
I
n the early morning, before the streets of Monrovia, Liberia, fill
so people believed whatever they were told to believe.” Experienc-
with the bustle of everyday life, one man has already begun his
ing the oppression and atrocities of war, Sirleaf said, inspired him to
day. By the time the city awakens, he has prepared the news for
create “a new medium of communication, so people can be informed
all his countrymen to see. This experiment in grassroots journalism,
about local, national, and international issues.” That new medium of
a news outlet called The Daily Talk, lacks an office, paid staff, and
communication was The Daily Talk.
even a computer. Instead, Alfred Sirleaf disseminates the news in Liberia’s capital city using the simplest of tools: a blackboard and a
Something for Everyone
piece of chalk.
To reach a maximum number of readers, Sirleaf strives to keep The
Liberia is a nation in recovery. After enduring more than a decade
Daily Talk a community-centered, grassroots project. He selected
of civil war, the country has emerged as a tenuous democracy. The
Tubman Boulevard, a street running through central Monrovia, for
Daily Talk is Sirleaf’s contribution to his country’s newfound stabil-
his blackboard to ensure that his information would be displayed in a
ity. Sirleaf hopes that with free access to the news, his fellow citizens
high-traffic area. As a result, The Daily Talk’s readership includes a
will become informed and engaged, turning to politics and debate,
diverse group of Monrovians of all ages, classes, and education levels.
rather than war, for answers.
Luke Davis, a 22-year-old law student and self-proclaimed “Daily Talk admirer,” said that Sirleaf’s service plays an especially important
A Legacy of War
role for the young people of Monrovia: “It brings to light the issues
Since May 14, 2000, Sirleaf has spent each morning on the side of
and challenges young people face and informs us of our country’s
Tubman Boulevard, tirelessly writing stories of interest on his black-
direction. Youths are more and more politically and socially active in
board. Some news, especially international stories, comes from the
Liberia, and we must have access to news.”
Internet, which Sirleaf accesses at a local café. But more often than not, the news is generated on the streets of Monrovia itself. Sirleaf works with a number of volunteers, each of whom brings him information for local stories. Though this team of tipsters is small and unpaid, it is well organized. Only after receiving information for a story from at least two volunteers does Sirleaf post it on The Daily Talk. “I have several different people covering the same story, so we
can’t just have a few informed people “ We ruling the rest of the country. That’s how we ended up fighting and killing. We’re talking about a democracy.” –Alfred Sirleaf
get different view points,” explained Sirleaf. “No two opinions on a piece of news will be the same, but this way we can ensure we get accurate information.”
The illiterate, who comprise 40 percent of Liberia’s adult popula-
Sirleaf’s desire to provide free access to accurate information
tion, is another demographic that Sirleaf seeks to reach. To deliver
stems from witnessing first-hand the horrors of his country’s lengthy
the news to those who cannot read, Sirleaf devised a system in which
civil war. Fighting first began in 1989, and with the exception of a
he hangs objects on The Daily Talk’s blackboard to symbolize the
brief ceasefire from 1996 to 1999 when former rebel leader Charles
topics of the day’s news. Frequently displayed objects include a gun
Taylor served as president, war raged until 2003. By the time the sec-
representing Charles Taylor, a hubcap showing President Ellen John-
ond ceasefire was signed, the country had been ravaged. The fight-
son Sirleaf — known as the Iron Lady of Politics — and a blue helmet
ing destroyed much of Monrovia’s infrastructure and left most of the
symbolizing the U.N. peacekeepers stationed in Liberia. And just as
country without electricity for nearly 14 years. Disease, violence, and
the news is never static, neither are Sirleaf’s symbols. While a white
starvation killed 250,000 people, one out of every 12 Liberians. For
handkerchief, implying peace, usually represents President Obama,
those who survived the war, life expectancy dropped to 44 years, in-
for example, a red cloth was displayed after his announcement of
fant mortality rose to more than 10 percent, and GDP per capita fell
a troop surge for Afghanistan. This system, Sirleaf said, helps him
to just $500.
“reach all levels of people in society: educated, semi-educated, and
According to Sirleaf, the causes of his country’s turmoil are clear:
uneducated.”
“One can trace the war back to misinformation. Those with informa-
Perhaps The Daily Talk’s greatest accomplishment, however,
tion used their own machinery to misguide, misuse, and oppress the
has been providing the news for free. In a nation where 80 percent
people without information. They denied the people of information,
of the population lives below the poverty line, many people cannot
POLITICS & ECONOMY 15 the yale globalist
Nicknamed the analogue blog, for 10 years The Daily Talk has empowered Monrovians through access to free news. (Courtesy Alfred Sirleaf) afford televisions, newspapers, and internet access. For unemployed
Talk’s blackboard.
readers like Joseph Johnson, The Daily Talk may serve as their sole
Nevertheless, Sirleaf’s resolve never faltered: “The Daily Talk
source of news. According to Johnson, “Without The Daily Talk, we
knows no affiliation. It knows no name, no party, and no politics. Dur-
would have no access to information. It focuses on us, the readers,
ing the war, those invented connections hurt me. But we were people
and helping us stay informed.”
with ambition, and we stayed put. I put my life on the line to make
Beatrice Mategwa, a broadcast journalist working with the United
sure people were kept informed.”
Nations in Sudan, explained that many impoverished Africans like
Today, Sirleaf remains just as steadfastly committed to spreading
Johnson must prioritize daily necessities, often at the expense of ac-
the news. While funding remains a significant obstacle, Sirleaf has
cess to information. “People need to get food on the table and meet
high hopes for the future of The Daily Talk. He has set his sights
their basic needs,” Mategwa remarked, “so they don’t buy a newspa-
on expanding into more Liberian communities, and eventually into
per that day. The reality is that people need to make choices.”
other African nations. The innovative model of The Daily Talk could
Yet in Sirleaf’s eyes, ensuring that Liberians do not have to make
provide citizens in other post-conflict states with the information
the choice between food and news is fundamental for the survival of
they need to actively participate in their new democracies. In her
his country’s democracy. “We can’t just have a few informed people
work broadcasting from nations that have endured civil wars, includ-
ruling the rest of the country,” he explained. “That’s how we ended
ing Sierra Leone and Sudan, Mategwa has observed that “communi-
up fighting and killing. We’re talking about a democracy. We need
ties with access to the news are more involved. They understand the
freedom of speech, freedom of information. We need to get the neces-
issues. They’re able to engage politicians and make informed deci-
sary information to the people. With The Daily Talk, we make sure
sions, and that does make a great difference to the communities.”
people are educated and can take part in society, especially the poor
With more communities of informed citizens, Sirleaf believes peace
and uninformed.”
and stability could become reality for Africa’s war-weary nations. This promise of an engaged populace has pushed Sirleaf to con-
A Man with a Mission
tinue with his morning routine, despite many setbacks. He views
Such a bold undertaking, however, was bound to encounter prob-
each reader as an integral part of Liberia’s economic and political
lems and face opposition. Not long after creating The Daily Talk,
recovery, knowing that each will walk away from The Daily Talk
Sirleaf was targeted by political leaders seeking to stamp out what
more informed than when he or she arrived. And for Sirleaf, even the
they perceived as a source of dissent. His surname, shared by Presi-
few stories he can fit on his blackboard make a world of difference.
dent Johnson Sirleaf, though the two are not related, proved most
“A little knowledge is better than no knowledge,” Sirleaf proclaimed,
problematic. President Johnson Sirleaf was a vocal opposition figure
“and knowledge is power.”
during the civil war, and political leaders assumed a subversive connection between her and Alfred. On several occasions, government forces threatened him with jail time and destroyed or stole The Daily
Jessica Shor is a freshman in Ezra Stiles College.
16 FOCUS: Journalism Spring 2010
FOREIGN
CORRESPONDENCE IN FLUX
F
reelance foreign correspondent Amanda Lindhout, 28, was captured by gunmen in Somalia on August 23, 2008. Along with an Australian freelance photographer, Nigel Brennan, she was held captive for 15 months before being released in November 2009. This was one of several trips Lindhout had taken to conflict zones in Africa and the Middle East, reporting primarily for her hometown newspaper, the Red Deer Advocate. She funded her international reporting by working as a waitress in an Alberta, Canada pub. Only recently has it become possible to pursue foreign correspon-
dence as a part-time job. The traditional image of a foreign correspondent once involved a man wearing a trench coat and a fedora hat, traveling with a local translator and a professional photographer. This reporter would have enjoyed generous accommodations, worked in a permanent bureau and returned to his room at the end of the day to type his article, which he would then send back home to the paper before it went to press. But the rise of the Web and digital technology, combined with the impact of the financial crisis, caused the traditional profile of the international reporter to change. The financial pressures of the 2007
Financial pressures, new technologies, and changing expectations are transforming the future of foreign reporting. By Catherine Cheney
recession hit already vulnerable newsrooms across America, and news organizations began to cut costs, leading to dwindling numbers of foreign correspondents and dwindling coverage of international issues. Foreign bureaus began to close, and media entrepreneurs began to develop new ideas for covering the world. Now, as financial pressures force many news organizations to close their foreign bureaus and adapt to a new information landscape, media professionals and news consumers alike are redefining the future of foreign correspondence.
The End of an Era The decline of newspaper journalism marks the end of an era, as fewer publications are able to employ journalists to local, national, and international beats. The rise of the Internet has created unprecedented global interconnectedness, as well as a demand for immediacy that can affect the quality of reporting. While information is becoming increasingly accessible and people are demanding more news than ever before, the revenues of news organizations are in constant decline as publishers and media executives struggle to monetize content and maintain readership. In the past, newspaper publishers such as the Sulzberger family, which
FOCUS: Journalism 17 the yale globalist
Responding to new media companies like GlobalPost and Twitter drawing reporters and readers to the web, media outlets such as CNN and the BBC are moving more of their effort to their websites. (left: Cheney/TYG; above: Jotwani/TYG)
need to “embrace what is new, rather than being overwhelmed by
has controlled and published the New York Times since 1896, made
spondents, instead relying on two dozen digital journalists to report
international reporting and permanent bureaus a top priority. But
abroad with editing software and small cameras.
while the New York Times maintains 26 bureaus abroad, the age of fully staffed foreign bureaus is over.
Westin sent an email to ABC News in February announcing the it.” Cutting 25 percent of its staff, ABC is halving its bureau corre-
Other strategies do not limit bureaus to one person, instead consolidating whole groups of countries into regional posts, such as an
Entrepreneurs redefining foreign coverage have challenged tra-
“East Africa” office or a “South America” office. This requires news
ditional media outlets. All at once, the industry is having to adjust to
organizations to fly in reporters to cover breaking news stories. As
shifting expectations, changing technology, and financial pressures.
the reporters may not have had time to study the language or culture
From downsizing to outsourcing to creating new models for foreign
of the area., their reporting may explore the who, what, when, and
news, each media outlet has taken a different tack as they attempt to
where, but it might misrepresent the why or how.
weather the crisis.
Bureaus of One ABC News took a new step in the process of redefining foreign correspondence in 2007, when it sent seven television journalists with laptops and handheld video cameras to one-person bureaus around the
how many books you cram on the “ Noplane,matter you'll never know as much about a country as a reporter who lives there.” — Beth Dickinson, Foreign Policy
world. Dana Hughes, an ABC correspondent based in Nairobi, told the American Journalism Review, “We are fixers, shooters, reporters, producers, and bureau chiefs.” Five jobs, one person.
Beth Dickinson, an assistant managing editor at Foreign Policy
Many argue that this consolidation, this shift from massive foreign
magazine and a former Globalist editor, worked as a foreign corre-
bureaus to bureaus of one, is not only cost effective but also a better
spondent in Nigeria for The Economist after graduating from Yale.
way to report, encouraging reporters to be enterprising by decentral-
Dickinson explained that this concept of flying in reporters, referred
izing foreign correspondence from major capitals like Moscow and
to as “helicoper journalism,” assumes that expertise is not needed to
London. ABC News president David Westin explained, “Technology
report the news.
now makes it possible for us to have bureaus without a receptionist,
“Sometimes, it’s the only way, but it certainly diminishes the depth
three edit suites and studio cameras and so on.” He added, “The es-
that journalists’ have in discussing their topics,” she explained. “No
sence of what we do is reporting.”
matter how many books you cram on the plane, you’ll never know as
18 FOCUS: Journalism Spring 2010
ABC F o r ei gn B ur ea u Clo sur e s ABC’s fully staffed foreign bureaus prior to 2003
ABC’s fully staffed and one-person foreign bureaus in 2009
Full foreign bureaus
ABC closed seven fully staffed bureaus in 2003. In 2007, it sent seven “one-person bureaus abroad; as of January 2009, ABC had 17 fully staffed and one-person bureaus. (Information courtesy Project for Excellence in Journalism; graphs Jotwani/TYG) much about a country as a reporter who lives there.”
One-person foreign bureaus and pictures of breaking news.
Increasingly, though, newsrooms cannot afford the expertise that
Citizen journalism, as applied to international coverage, refers
comes with permanent bureaus. “Training oneself to the point where
to foreign nationals working as active participants in the collection,
you can effectively [fly] in is the challenge of the new foreign corre-
reporting, and dissemination of news and analysis for an overseas
spondent,” said Dickinson. “The best of these keep their eye on the
audience. Media organizations rely on citizen journalism either for
news throughout their region, so that they can [fly] in from another
breaking news coverage or as a way of exploring local reactions to in-
close-by location,” ready to report on the situation.
ternational events. “Citizen journalism allows us to have bureaus ev-
Other strategies to maintain foreign news coverage include fur-
erywhere in the world, six billion people strong, and that just makes
ther collaboration between media outlets as well as further reliance
us better,” said Klein as he described why CNN relies so heavily on
on newswire services, such as the Associated Press and Reuters.
citizen accounts of news in their own hometowns. “Increasingly, that
The Washington Post, part of the Washington Post Company, maintains 13 international bureaus, and the Tribune Company, which
is a big part of our value. The meeting is taking place in our living room.”
owns the Chicago Tribune and Los Angeles Times, is currently dis-
Twitter is becoming an outlet for snippets of citizen journalism,
cussing the possibility of paying the Post for foreign news coverage to
as the 2008 Iran protests and the January earthquake in Haiti made
include in its eight daily newspapers.
clear. When people on the ground describe what they are experienc-
But even The Washington Post relies on wire services for much
ing, news organizations far removed from the course of events can
of its foreign news coverage. Wire services cover the major issues
use Twitter as a form of crowd sourcing. CNN is one of many outlets
in a given country for an international audience, but there is still a
that relied on this social media Web site to try and capture the reality
need for freelancers, and even citizen journalists, to contribute added
on the ground, but Klein warned that it is important to be cautious of
value reporting through on-the-ground sourcing, investigative jour-
what information to trust.
nalism, and feature stories.
Citizen Journalists
“We know everything about the people we send to these countries,” he explained, referring to CNN international correspondents, such as chief correspondent Christiane Amanpour. As for the content
“Anybody who is there automatically knows more, has better insight
many citizen journalists upload to the CNN Web site, “we have to
than anyone sitting in the office,” said Jon Klein, the president of
take more time to run them down, double check them, triple check
CNN for the United States, with multiple television screens on the
them,” said Klein.
wall of his New York office displaying domestic and global news cov-
Mainstream media companies are not the only ones looking to
erage. “Whether you are an employee of ours or you are a citizen who
citizen journalists to maintain foreign news coverage. Other organi-
witnesses something, you’ve got a validity right off the bat that needs
zations have built models which capitalize on the grassroots power
to be paid attention to.” The organization maintains 33 international
of the Internet. Demotix, a “citizen-journalism Web site and photo
newsgathering locations, and in January appointed three new inter-
agency,” accepts photographs from “freelance journalists and ama-
national correspondents, in sharp contrast with the trends affecting
teurs” and markets them to mainstream media outlets. According to
smaller news organizations.
its Web site, the company’s goal is to “rescue journalism and promote
CNN also draws on freelance work and citizen journalism, as evident in its iReport initiative, which allows people to upload videos
free expression by connecting independent journalists with the traditional media.”
FOCUS: Journalism 19 the yale globalist
This shift toward citizen journalism demands increased education regarding journalistic ethics. Nick Raistrick, a producer and trainer
the same time, freelancers who lack those relationships “may report more unilaterally, more critically.”
at the BBC World Service Trust, works to develop news outlets and
Smyth said that success as a freelancer or a stringer in this com-
train journalists in countries that lack a strong, independent media.
petitive media environment requires moving to “an area with lots
He recently trained journalists from six different radio stations that
of news, like Iraq a few years ago, and Afghanistan today.” But with
the BBC helped establish in Uganda. This form of media development
freelancing becoming one of the predominant paths to international
helps international media thrive, creating a culture of citizen journal-
journalism, more and more inexperienced people are traveling to
ists devoted to their craft, aware of its importance, and able to send
conflict zones hoping to sell their stories, and they are often igno-
their work to American news organizations looking to educate an au-
rant of the real dangers they face. Amanda Lindhout’s kidnapping is
dience on the area. “I think it is a great opportunity for Americans to
one example among several, such as Laura Ling, who was arrested
learn about the world, and British people to learn about the world,”
in North Korea while filming at the China-North Korea Border for
Raistrick explained.
the online media company Current TV, and Steven Vincent, a former
Foreign Freelancing
freelance journalist for the Wall Street Journal, who was shot dead in Basra, Iraq in 2005.
Media outlets can draw from a more diverse array of reporters and
Smyth explained that while these risks should be understood, peo-
perspectives by looking to freelance journalists. Many news organi-
ple who thrive on bylines and television spots will always take them.
zations are adapting to financial pressures by hiring freelancers, who
“It is easy to say, well, don’t take risks, but I’ve also taken risks and
place themselves in foreign countries, pitching stories to multiple
gotten stories that were exclusives,” he said.
news organizations in hopes of earning a living. “There are more opportunities [today] for people who are resourceful,” said David Case,
Funding Foreign Correspondence
editor of Passport, the membership service of the online news service
Portable digital technology and instant communication online make
GlobalPost. “Rather than trying to figure out how to get a foothold at
it possible for news organizations to utilize freelance reporting, but
The New York Times, the market is more fluid and open.”
with shrinking revenues, it is hard for newspapers and television out-
Jerry Guo, who graduated from Yale in 2009, owes his journalism
Now, as financial pressures force many news organizations to close their foreign bureaus and adapt to a new information landscape, media professionals and news consumers alike are redefining the future of foreign correspondence.
lets to support their freelance contributors financially. That is where foundations come in. Foundations and fellowships are providing new opportunities for foreign reporting, even as some in the established media can no longer afford to fund international correspondence. John Schidlovsky worked as a freelancer in the Middle East and as the bureau chief for the Baltimore Sun in Beijing and New Delhi before becoming the director of the International Reporting Project. He founded the organization, which offers the most competitive journalism fellowships in the country, in 1998 after determining that American journalism
career to the adventuresome spirit that allowed him to succeed in
needed a program empowering individuals to pursue foreign re-
freelancing. “In college I would just basically spend my break in ex-
porting. “It was clear that a lot of mainstream media organizations
otic places, and I found that that was an easier way of convincing
were going to reduce, cut back, or eliminate entirely their foreign
editors [to let me write], if it was a place that no one else was stupid
bureaus,” he said. And he was right. The organization has since sent
enough to go to.” As an undergraduate, Guo reported from coun-
300 journalists to report in more than 85 countries.
tries including North Korea, Zimbabwe, Nepal, and Indonesia. After
The Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting “helps underwrite the
spending his college career planting himself in compelling areas and
cost of foreign reporting projects and works to get the stories fea-
pitching his stories to a variety of publications, Guo was hired as a
tured in newspapers, broadcast outlets and on the Internet.” The
staff correspondent at Newsweek. “There is no one path,” he said
Center recently partnered with YouTube to create a journalism com-
from his roaming cell phone in West Africa, explaining that people
petition open to aspiring reporters who want to “share their stories
who are willing to take risks can find work by digging up unique,
with the world.”
compelling stories.
This is one of a few foundations taking the lead in cultivating the
Frank Smyth, Washington representative of the Committee to
next generation of foreign correspondents, in addition to organiza-
Protect Journalists, spent many years as a freelance journalist and
tions such as the Overseas Press Club Foundation, which offers fel-
risked his life in pursuit of stories, including an 18-day imprisonment
lowships to undergraduates and graduate students wishing to pursue
in Iraq during the Gulf War. He explained that there are benefits and
international reporting projects. The intent behind the many foreign
disadvantages to relying on the work of a freelancer as compared
journalism foundations and fellowships is to equip journalists with
to that of a staff writer or special correspondent. “Newspapers may
the resources they need to report important stories that would oth-
have a military reporter who is closer to the military than someone
erwise go untold.
else,” he said. Close relationships between staff reporters and their
Organizations outside of the traditional media, including non-
sources lead to greater journalistic access, Smyth explained, but at
profit organizations, are also funding global storytelling projects that
20 FOCUS: Journalism Spring 2010
counterclockwise from top right: Amanda Lindhout, a freelance foreign correspondent held captive in Somalia for 15 months before being released in November 2009. (Courtesy freeamandafreenigel.wordpress.com) Christiane Amanpour and Anderson Cooper, foreign correspondents for CNN. (Courtesy Flickr/Creative Commons) Philip S. Balboni and Charles M. Sennot, co-founders of GlobalPost. (Courtesy David Case/GlobalPost)
provide new forums for journalists to publish and broadcast their
In addition to covering current issues in politics and commerce,
work. Human Rights Watch, for example, funds international human
the Web site features stories such as “Saudi women revel in online
rights reporting fellowships, and the Kaiser Family Foundation offers
lives” and “The ‘miracle babies’ of Mexico City: 25 years later.” These
fellowships in global health reporting.
kinds of stories had gone uncovered by the mainstream media be-
From the Ground Up
cause publishers and producers assumed that people would not pay for them. However, as the world grows increasingly interconnected
In 2007, when the Boston Globe closed its last three international bu-
and people look for new ways to engage with international issues, the
reaus in Jerusalem, Berlin, and Bogotá, Charles Sennott, formerly a
Web creates a forum for a wider range of content. No trend in con-
foreign correspondent for the Globe, partnered with Philip Balboni to
temporary foreign correspondence, from the rise of citizen journal-
found the foreign news Web site GlobalPost. Emphasizing the impor-
ists to the shift towards one-person bureaus, could have taken place
tance of foreign correspondents living in the areas they cover so that
without the incredible access and speed afforded by the Internet.
they can best “untangle complex issues,” the founders of GlobalPost explain on their site: “Our mission is to provide Americans, and all
Looking Ahead
English-language readers around the world, with a depth, breadth
“There are more links between the U.S. and the rest of the world now
and quality of original international reporting that has been steadily
than ever before and ironically the mainstream media has receded
diminished in too many American newspapers and television net-
from its responsibility to cover the rest of the world,” said Schid-
works.”
lovsky. With the increasing number of success stories in new media
Relying on paid membership, syndication in other publications,
models for foreign correspondence, the mainstream media will have
and online advertising, GlobalPost was founded in January 2009 with
to adapt, as it has already begun to do. If the definition of interna-
a for-profit business model. The venture employs more than 70 cor-
tional correspondence is broadened to include these new models, the
respondents in more than 50 countries. These reporters are encour-
field may actually be growing, despite tight budgets and closing bu-
aged to produce multimedia content in addition to print stories, and
reaus.
most of them report for the site part-time. David Case of the Global-
Foreign correspondence is not, in fact, dying. It is weathering the
Post explained that the site is a pioneer not only in its financial mod-
storm of financial pressure and new media technology, with freelanc-
el, but also in its approach to foreign news. “War, famine, crises and
ers, citizen journalists, foundations, and entrepreneurs at the helm.
politics have long been the lifeblood of the foreign correspondent,” he said. “GlobalPost is about covering the world the way we cover domestic news.”
Catherine Cheney is a senior Politcal Science major in Trumbull College.
FOCUS: Journalism 21
Q & A
the yale globalist
A Conversation With Nicholas Kristof Nicholas Kristof, a two-time Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, is an op-ed columnist for The New York Times. His work has focused on issues of global health, poverty, and gender. Some of Mr. Kristof’s most notable columns have focused on regions in conflict, especially Darfur and the Congo. In January, the Globalist’s Jeff Kaiser interviewed Mr. Kristof about his work. Below is the edited result of their conversation.
Q: How do you see the state of the international news media? A: Overall, I do think there is a little more appetite than there often has been historically in the U.S. On the other hand, news organizations are cutting costs in any way they can, and TV especially has realized that if you go out and cover Pakistan, Afghanistan, wherever it may be, that is dangerous and incredibly expensive, and on balance, probably won’t get the same ratings as throwing a Democrat and a Republican in a room together and having them yell at each other. I think overall we’re going downhill in terms of coverage, with more and more news organizations closing their foreign news bureaus and relying on stringers, if at all.
Q: Many of your columns seem to have an activist tone. Is this
some of these new media outlets, whether they be radio stations,
something you strive for?
by bit, upgrade the conditions for greater prosperity, greater so-
A:
I flinch a little bit at the notion that I am an activist or a
crusader because there is some connotation that that means that one’s first loyalty is to some ideological position as opposed to just empirically trying to gather the facts. But I must say I look back at my body of work and it’s clear that I really do want to galvanize readers and that I care about a whole range of humanitarian issues. So I wouldn’t fight that label too much.
websites, bloggers, who can hold officials’ feet to the fire and, bit cial services, greater literacy, and just more efficient government.
Q: Aside from hearing so many heartbreaking stories, what is the most difficult aspect of the type of reporting you do?
A: It is often hard to be sure of what is going on in places, just trying
to verify the facts and understanding what narrative is right. When I was a foreign correspondent based in a pretty poor country it was hard
Q: Do you see this activism as a broader role for all
enough, but at least then you are in the country, you speak the language.
journalists?
don’t speak any local languages. It’s an enormously complicated coun-
A: I think there is an inherent tension there because a lot of peo-
Now, in contrast, well, I am just planning a trip to the Congo, and so I try, and trying to make sure that you get it right can be really tough.
ple, myself included, went into journalism because we do want to make a difference, and this is an opportunity to do so. On the other hand, you can’t cover every school board meeting or every political fight as if it’s the civil rights movement or genocide. There are a lot of cases where we really do need rigorous journalistic neutrality and objectivity. Maybe we can try a little harder to make a difference.
Q: In a world where so many issues warrant attention, how do you choose which stories to cover?
A:
In part, I look for those topics where I think I can make the
most difference. I think of the column as a bit of a spotlight, and
Q:
it is most effective when directed at something that is not otherOn this theme of journalism as a way to promote action,
wise illuminated. Of course, it really only works if I can get ac-
what role should the media play in the endorsement of democ-
cess to a conflict or to a problem. I look for places that are acces-
racy around the world?
sible in some form and that aren’t getting a lot of attention, where
A:
I wish that we would see democracy not just as an issue of
elections but really as a much broader process, and I think that one of the best ways to promote that kind of a democratic environment is to support independent news organizations in countries and
I think that if people read this over breakfast or over their coffee in the morning that it will be one step toward making a difference. Jeff Kaiser is a sophomore in Saybrook College.
22 FOCUS: Journalism Spring 2010
Peace Through Print The island of Cyprus has long been the site of ethnic conflict between Turkish and Greek factions. Could reforming journalistic practices help bring about peace? By Emily Sosangelis
F
rom 1963 to 1974, over 500 Turkish Cypriots went missing. During the same period, nearly 1,500 Greek Cypriots also disappeared.
For years, both the Greek and Turkish communities of Cyprus assumed that they alone had been the victims of these murky, deadly attacks. They were shocked to discover that, in fact, each side had fared similarly in the 50 years since the country’s founding. Thanks to Cyprus’s ethnically divided media, neither side had learned about the tragedies the other had suffered. Cyprus has been rife with civil war and cultural division for years. British rule from 1914 to 1960 eventually gave way to Cypriot independence, but no reconciliation occurred between the two ethnic communities living in separate enclaves on the island. In 1964, U.N. peacekeeping forces demarcated a buffer zone, called the “green line,” to end a bloody civil war between the two groups. This line still serves as a physical and psychological barrier that separates the Republic of
At a Greek check point in Nicosia, an anti-Turkish sign depicts the bloody Cyprus conflict along the UN buffer zone. (Courtesy Christopher Rose)
Cyprus from the self-proclaimed Turkish Federated State of Cyprus, created in 1984 and recognized only by Turkey.
After several Cypriot reporters were targeted with violence, in-
Historical and cultural divisions between Cypriots run deeper
ternational journalism advocates began to call for reform. One idea
than politics. Greek Cypriots speak only Greek, attend separate
is the concept of “peace journalism,” which encourages mutual un-
schools, and read only Greek newspapers. Turkish Cypriots are simi-
derstanding by undermining the divide between “self” and “other” in
larly self-segregated. Without linguistic common ground, isolation
journalistic reporting. Developed over 40 years ago, the idea has only
persists. Nadia Karayianni is the project manager of the NGO Sup-
recently reached Cyprus. Inspired by the concept, the Boston-based
port Centre, a Cypriot non-profit that seeks to build a stronger civil
Cambridge Foundation for Peace has developed a pluralistic Cypri-
society on the island. “The problem is that there is no joint source of
ot news source, CyprusMediaNet, which pools reporting from both
information,” she said. Karayianni fears that isolation, reinforced by
sides of the green line and translates each article into Turkish, Greek
separate and biased media, engenders deep mistrust.
and English. While only first steps in bridging the Cypriot language
Many journalists on the island resort to sensationalism and com-
barrier, such initiatives are providing broader access to information.
munalism as they pursue readership and ratings. The front pages of
On the ground, however, progress is slow. Journalist George Pittas
major newspapers in Cyprus regularly seethe with divisive nation-
of the popular Greek Cypriot newspaper Politis described his publica-
alism. “Unacceptable Positions of the Turkish Cypriot Community,”
tion as “the one and only newspaper in Cyprus that has a couple of
ran the headline of Greek newspaper Philenews in January 2010. The
Turkish Cypriot columnists on a permanent basis.” Although there is
Turkish Cypriot newspaper Volkan often leads with proclamations
some movement towards bridging the two communities, according to
like “Turkish Cyprus Needs to Live on Forever.” Newspapers tend to
Pittas, these efforts remain limited.
depict the other side as the primary cause of the conflict. A 2006 study
The financial structure of the industry has also posed an obstacle
by Metin Ersoy, media scholar at Eastern Mediterranean University
to the pursuit of a more closely connected media on the island. Be-
on Cyprus, found that over 30 percent of Greek Cypriot newspapers
cause Turkish Cypriots depend heavily on Turkish financing, nation-
ran negative headlines about the other side, as did 25 percent of
alist news broadcasters in Turkey hold a monopoly on culture and
Turkish Cypriot newspapers.
information for Turkish Cyprus.
Cyprus resident and teacher Konstantinos Chatzisavvas, like
There is no doubt that media in Cyprus will continue to play an
many other Cypriots, buys into the headlines. “The media presents
important role in easing, or blocking, the road to reunification. As
the Cyprus problem the way it is, with Turkey remaining intolerant,”
Karayianni put it, “Journalists should be the initiators of peacemak-
he said. This language of separation and division renews distrust,
ing. On the contrary, some are only repeating the same stories of the
kindling the popular belief that the Turkish and Greek perspectives
past, repeating what divides us, not what unites us.”
are incompatible and irreconcilable.
Emily Sosangelis is a freshman in Timothy Dwight College.
FOCUS: Journalism 23 the yale globalist
Cuba’s Emerging Blogosphere In spite of government repression and limited access to the Internet, Cuban bloggers are determined to make their voices heard. By Carlos Gomez
Y
oani Sanchez was headed to a demonstration for nonvio-
with it significant risks. The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ)
lence in November 2009 when she was kidnapped and beaten
puts the number of independent reporters in Cuba at only 25, prob-
by government agents. The famed Cuban blogger had her
ably because these journalists are subjected to routine harassment.
hair pulled, knuckles smashed, and head, chest, knees, and kidneys punched and kicked. Cries of “traitor” and “dissident” were hurled
“Immediately the government will identify you,” said Hernandez. “On a daily basis, they make your life miserable.”
her way as she was forced into a car, beaten, and then thrown out
Independent reporters lose at both ends of the journalistic pro-
on the street 20 minutes later. Such harassment is not uncommon in
cess. Sources easily available to government writers suddenly be-
Cuba; Sanchez is but one of many who have suffered under the gov-
come unreachable, and publication becomes exceedingly difficult.
ernment’s harsh policies toward independent journalists.
Because the Communist Party controls all communication, selling
Sanchez created her blog, “Generation Y,” in 2007 as a place to
independent work is impossible, making a sufficient income unat-
write freely about Cuba, without government interference. It has
tainable. Independent journalists also frequently have their phone
since drawn attention to the repressive regime and sparked a new
lines disconnected and are under constant surveillance by govern-
wave of Cuban bloggers committed to reporting the real stories of
ment agents. Consequently, Juan Gonzales Febles, Odelin Alfonso,
Cuba. Working within the constraints of the country’s almost nonex-
Luis Cino, and Sanchez — the only Cuban bloggers with available
istent Internet infrastructure and against the government’s attempt
contact information — could not be reached for this article despite
to restrict them, these bloggers must draw on all their creativity and
numerous attempts.
courage as they attempt to launch a new generation of Cuban jour-
Some reporters are put under house arrest. Others are rounded
nalism.
Voices of the Government “Independent journalists are mercenaries,” read a 2000 headline of Cuban newspaper Juventud Rebelde. “The U.S. Empire pays, organizes, teaches, trains, arms and camouflages them and orders them to shoot at their own people.” Clearly, independent journalists have a strained relationship with the Cuban government, which owns all major news outlets on the island. Civilians are often hard-pressed to find information not supplied by the three state-controlled newspapers, La Granma, Juventud Rebelde, and Trabajadores. These three papers serve distinct purposes but share common themes: party loyalty and Cuban nationalism. La Granma, the official organ of the Cuban Communist Party and the most widely circulated of the three, publishes mostly celebrations of Cuban policies and chastisements of the American government. Juventud Rebelde (Rebellious Youth) runs similar stories to those in La Granma but geared towards a younger demographic with the hope of instilling strong nationalism in the rising generation. The third national publication, Trabajadores (Workers), is the official voice of the government-controlled trade union. Journalists for these three papers are well paid and have access to a number of top government sources, but they trade journalistic liberty for security. The Cuban government dictates what — and how — stories can be reported. In the words of Dr. Jose Alberto Hernandez, president of CubaNet, these government publications produce “very somber and unimaginative journalism.” But the creativity allowed for by independent journalism brings
Yoani Sanchez copies her articles and emails them to friends to post on foreign servers, a common practice for bloggers who must work around Cuba’s nonexistent Internet infrastructure and government scrutiny. (Courtesy José Luis Orihuela/Flickr)
24 FOCUS: Journalism Spring 2010
writers are forced to type their blog posts on home computers, copy them to flash drives or CDs, and take them to Internet cafes to send via email. This is complicated by the fact that most Internet centers aren’t open to civilians. Sanchez, for example, must pretend to be a tourist to slip past guards. Other bloggers are similarly forced to use creative methods to send their entries to friends abroad who post them online. Cuban citizens, in turn, have a hard time accessing the Internet due to its high price and painfully slow connection speed. Some of the entries are distributed through the population via CDs and flash drives. The blogs’ real successes, however, have occurred in the inter-
A Cuban civilian reads La Granma, the official organ of the Communist Party and one of the only media outlets readily available in Cuba. (Courtesy Mike Reid)
national community. Sanchez has received a number of international accolades for Generation Y and was included in Time Magazine’s “100 Most Influential People of 2008.” In addition, organizations like
up and driven to remote locations in an effort to keep them from
Reporters without Borders and the CPJ now put Cuba on their top
publishing for a few days. More seriously, prison is a constant threat.
priority lists, and sites like CubaNet.org post articles that can’t be
Journalist Bernardo Arevalo served a jail sentence of six years sim-
published in the mainstream Cuban media. Recently, even President
ply for referring to Castro as a “liar” after the president failed to en-
Barack Obama responded to a series of questions posted by Sanchez.
act promised democratic reforms. In March 2003, a period now aptly referred to as “Black Spring,” 75 Cuban dissidents were arrested and
The Government Responds
imprisoned, including 23 journalists. Many remain in jail, making
Sanchez and other bloggers have mostly eluded the level of govern-
Cuba home to the third largest number of imprisoned reporters, after
ment harassment faced by traditional independent journalists. Dan
China and Iran.
Erikson, a Cuban expert for Inter-American Dialogue, suspects that
With the change of leadership from Fidel Castro to his brother Raul in 2008, some hoped for an improved journalistic atmosphere. However, Carlos Lauria, director of the Americas region for CPJ, says that despite Raul’s announcement of reform, nothing has changed. “In terms of independent reporting and the ability of journalists to work freely in Cuba, it’s just not possible.”
this is because most government officials are over 70 years old. “I
the government will identify “ Immediately you. On a daily basis, they make your life miserable.”
Slipping Past the Guards
— Dr. Jose Alberto Hernandez, president of CubaNet
In the past few years, independent journalists have found a new venue for their writings: blogs. Beginning with Sanchez’s Generation Y
suppose there’s a generational disconnect between the activities of
blog, Cuban journalists have turned towards less traditional media
Raul Castro and Yoani Sanchez,” he said.
to disseminate information. The CPJ reports that there are about 25
Nonetheless, the government consistently denies Sanchez the
regularly maintained news blogs from Cuban authors. These young
travel visa necessary to leave Cuba. Clearly, independent blogs are
reporters are mostly stationed in Havana, as the Cuban capital is
no longer going unnoticed. As of August 2009, all blog sites were
the easiest place to access the Internet. Rather than engaging in
blocked within Cuba. In addition, the government is reportedly hir-
the purely anti-government rhetoric sometimes associated with in-
ing computer science students to serve as cyber police to monitor the
dependent journalists, the blog entries focus on telling stories not
content of these different sites. “There could be a massive crackdown
published in the government-sanctioned papers. Laritza Diversent,
if the bloggers’ work continues to be recognized abroad,” Lauria said.
for example, runs a blog entitled Laritza’s Laws, which explores le-
With the increased attention that the blogs have generated, how-
gal issues in Cuba. In a recent post titled “Legal Illiteracy,” Diversent
ever, most agree that international scrutiny will prevent another
discussed the disparity between the idealistic concept of justice she
Black Spring. The 2003 arrests caused the European Union to issue
learned in law school and the reality of working as a lawyer in Cuba.
economic sanctions against Cuba, which the country can’t afford to
“Bloggers are slipping through the tight restrictions of the regime
provoke again. In addition, the global community now monitors the
and have been able to report on some of the issues that Cubans face
government’s actions more closely. After the recent assault on San-
daily, like food shortages, health care, and education problems,” ex-
chez, the U.S. Department of State promptly declared that it “strong-
plained Lauria, but “they face huge practical obstacles from the re-
ly deplores” violence against journalists and urged Castro to honor
stricted Internet access in Cuba.”
the “full respect of human rights and fundamental freedoms of all its
Since surfing the web in Cuba costs six dollars an hour, while the median salary is $17 a month, the CPJ reports that only about 2.1 percent of Cubans have Internet access. Most of these few are government employees. Posting blogs online thus presents problems. Cuban
citizens.” Castro has yet to respond, but Cuba’s new blogging community shows no signs of slowing down. Carlos Gomez is a freshman in Saybrook College.
CULTURE 25
the yale globalist
Shining in the Rough Beijing’s “it” galleries find a new home in an unlikely neighborhood. By Helena Malchione
T
his past summer, gallery owners, artists, and collectors raced around the world to catch the openings of the newest cutting-
edge galleries. They didn’t head to long-established art capitals like New York, London, or Berlin but to Beijing, searching for the “latest thing” in art in the capital of communist China. Beijing first arrived on the international art scene 30 years ago, when a group of experimental artists called the Stars defied government orders and displayed their art in public. But only in the last decade has China become known as the hot new market in the world of art. “I have been active in the contemporary art field for 25 years, and I have never experienced such a boom, at such a speed, to such heights, in such a short period of time,” explained Fabien Fryns, Belgian owner of gallery F2, which he relocated to Beijing from Spain in 2007. The journey to international recognition, however, has brought about major shifts within Beijing’s art community. The 798 Arts District, an arrangement of formerly abandoned Soviet factories which now house galleries and studios, has been the historic nucleus of Beijing’s contemporary art scene. But as boutiques and tourists crowd its streets and inflate its prices, artists and gallery owners are increasingly establishing or re-establishing themselves in Caochangdi, a village on the outskirts of Beijing’s urban sprawl that has become a more serious and subdued home to China’s modern art. The food stalls, dirt paths, and shirtless construction crews of Caochangdi are a far stretch from the charming Bauhaus spaces of 798. When artist Ai Weiwei, considered the godfather of contemporary art in China, moved to Caochangdi in 2000, he set a bold precedent that his colleagues considered crazy. Today, the gallery space Ai opened within the compound he built for himself and his friends, China Art Archives and Warehouse, is among Beijing’s leading contemporary art galleries. In the years that followed, many more galleries opened in Caochangdi. The 2008 Beijing Olympics accelerated 798’s transformation into a glitzy tourist attraction, and the global economic downturn has hastened the movement of artists and gallery owners from 798 to Caochangdi, where tourists are few and real estate is cheaper. By now, a critical mass of new galleries and anchor organizations — many of them, including the well-known Pékin Fine Arts, Galerie Urs Meile, and Three Shadows Photography Art Centre, housed in compounds designed by Ai — have joined China Art Archives and Warehouse (CAAW) in Caochangdi.
left: The sleek, lush pathways of Ai Weiwei-designed Galerie Urs Meile form a sharp contrast to the bleak, dusty Caochangdi streets just beyond. (Malchione/TYG) right: The 798 Arts District has transformed from abandoned warehouses to a glitzy tourist attraction. (Welch/TYG) collection of paintings by Sheng Qi. With its opening in May 2009, the twentieth anniversary of the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests, Sheng Qi’s show “Power of the People” drew unusually high attention from the Chinese government for its references to the protests. Several overly political pieces were not permitted to be shown. In Caochangdi’s southern cluster, a vast arrangement of galleries lies tucked between the narrow streets. One of them is the veteran Beijing establishment White Space, the first truly influential gallery to relocate from 798. “We got to 798 early and we left early,” reflected White Space owner Tian Yuan on the decision to move her gallery. “There are very few people in Caochangdi. It is possible for us to work more peacefully here.” The shift from 798 to Caochangdi represents a formative moment in the continuing development of contemporary Chinese art. The rising prices and touristic ambiance of 798, which prompted some galleries to close and others to relocate, have helped weed out the ambitious hopefuls from the real talent. The quiet, more serious atmosphere of Caochangdi has allowed some of China’s most celebrated artists to reflect upon their bodies of work. In the September 2009 issue of The Beijinger, arts editor Madeleine O’Dea wrote that a “new bohemianism” had taken root in the city’s arts scene. If the rugged alleyways of Caochangdi speak to anything, it is this spirit of bohemianism and renewed creativity, and the promise of many more years of extraordinary art.
Two clusters of art spaces have emerged in Caochangdi. To the north are galleries CAAW, F2 Gallery, Platform China, and Three Shadows. F2 shows the work of new artists alongside long-established names and often displays more controversial pieces, such as a recent
Helena Malchione is a sophomore Economics and East Asian Studies major in Jonathan Edwards College.
26 CULTURE Spring 2010
Compiling a Culture The international success of Afro-Peruvian music has brought a onceobscure tradition into the potentially distorting glare of the spotlight. By Alon Harish
W
hen David Byrne, former leader of the rock group Talking Heads, watched a videotape of Peruvian singer Susana Baca in concert, he immediately fell in love with her
voice. He persuaded Baca to sign with his New York-based record label Luaka Bop, then combined her work with that of other traditional Peruvian artists in a 1995 compilation entitled “The Soul of Black Peru.” Opening with Baca’s mournful and evocative version of the Afro-Peruvian classic “María Landó,” the album not only started Baca on a path to fame but also contributed to the preservation of a musical tradition that was on the verge of disappearing. But the very success of the album raised a difficult question: Can an American label promote Afro-Peruvian music without changing it?
A People in the Shadows Baca, who in 2002 became the first Peruvian to win a Grammy, is part of a new generation of Afro-Peruvian artists dedicated to keeping alive the traditions of their ancestors. Since for most of history Peruvian music was an oral tradition, much of it was “lost with the deaths of people who carried the music in their memory,” Baca said. Born in barrios like Baca’s hometown of Chorrillos, Afro-Peruvian music was first developed by African slaves brought by the Spanish to work in mines and plantations along the Peruvian coast. The Spanish, fearing the overt spirituality in the slaves’ music and dance, imposed a ban on drums that inadvertently gave birth to a unique percussive sound that has survived to this day. Slaves found other objects with which to create a beat, such as the cajón, which evolved from wooden crates used to collect fruit on colonial farms. They adopted the quijada de burro (literally “donkey’s jaw” in Spanish) as a percussion instrument, making its teeth vibrate by slapping the jaw with the palm of their hands. To Baca, “percussion is at the core of Afro-Peruvian music.” So, too, is the theme of loss of a homeland and of freedom. Though the rhythms and melodies that sprang from these emotions are sung in Spanish, a language people speak in most of Latin America, they went unheard by the outside world for centuries. And despite the natural appeal of their soulful grooves, Afro-Peruvian music did not register on the international scene until the release of Byrne’s compilation in the United States.
Out of Obscurity Baca’s commitment to her country’s musical tradition began before Byrne’s first visit to Peru in the early 1990s. Susana Baca and her husband Ricardo Pereira founded the Instituto Negro Continuo (Black Continuum Institute) in Chorrillos in 1992, years before she became a commercial success. Instituto Negro Continuo supports
Susana Baca performing in Reading, U.K., in 2006. (Courtesy Damian Rafferty/Flickr) musicians and scholars of black culture in Peru by conducting workshops at local schools to teach students about Afro-Peruvian music and running a library with traditional musical archives and documents. Yale Evelev, Luaka Bop’s president, credits Baca with “singlehandedly reinvigorating a culture that was fading away.” But Luaka Bop, which Byrne founded in 1988 as an umbrella label to unite his numerous international compilation projects, has played a significant role in the renaissance of a musical culture formerly unheard outside of Peru’s borders. It was Baca’s rendition of the landó, a signature Afro-Peruvian meter akin to an extended waltz, that lured Byrne to Peru. The shuffling beat of the cajón carried Baca’s deep voice through the tale of “María,” a servant girl for whom life offers “no dawn,” only suffering and “doing the work of others.” And yet, as Byrne and Evelev were surprised to learn, no label in Peru had thought enough of Baca’s music to record it. “We went to the Warner Bros. outpost in Peru, a label called Iempsa, and no one there had even heard of her,” Evelev said. Baca signed with Luaka Bop in shortly after the release of “The Soul of Black Peru,” and the label released “Susana Baca,” a solo album in 1997. A product of Evelev and Byrne’s travels to Peru and acquisitions of cassette material from local labels, “The Soul of Black Peru” boosted
CULTURE 27
the yale globalist awareness of Afro-Peruvian music, once known only in small, isolated black communities in Peru, until it was well known beyond the Andes.
From the Outside Looking In Later in 1995, Luaka Bop set Baca off on a 30-show tour across the United States, during which Baca played for audiences far larger than any she could have dreamed of in Peru — but who were also complete strangers to her heritage and did not speak her language. Despite those barriers, the song “María Landó” became so popular that by the end of the tour, crowds would applaud only a few bars into the introduction. Back home, while taking pride in Baca’s success, many Black Peruvians were skeptical of whom she truly sought to represent through her music while she was abroad. “Here was a woman no one wanted to do a record with, and suddenly some outsiders come in and now she’s touring the States. There were a lot of people wondering how that was even possible,” Evelev said. Evelev and Byrne put themselves in a complex situation in Peru. The music that stirred them most had been left behind by local cultural trends. Evelev and Byrne saw their task as unearthing forgotten folk gems that deserved greater recognition. A quote from Byrne in Heidi Feldman’s book The Black Rhythms of Peru captures Byrne’s attitude towards his work: “Sometimes it takes a naïve foreigner to appreciate what people who live in a country don’t realize they have.”
“
Today I can see high school kids learning all the old songs and dances, and I know that they won’t have to disappear.”
—Susana Baca
But many Peruvians, acutely aware that Byrne and Evelev were marketing a culture they did not know firsthand, questioned Byrne and Evelev’s motives. Black Peruvians who still remembered the days when their music was first reappearing criticized his selections for the compilation. Some questioned the inclusion of Chabuca Granda, one of Susana Baca’s musical mentors, due to her mixed racial heritage, claiming she was not truly black. They worried above all that the image of their culture produced by Luaka Bop would not be faithful to the reality with which they grew up.
Culture Preservation or Cultural Change? This cultural tension is not uncommon for Luaka Bop, a label that
A street scene in Lima: Two men play the guitar and the cajón, performing a lando by Chabuca Granda. (Courtesy Flickr) nience of grouping distinct foreign musical cultures like Baca’s under the banner of world music, record stores and other distributors commonly shuffle her albums among those of various other “non-Western” artists, not bothering to distinguish them regardless of how dramatic their differences are. Baca, who recently finished her fifth album with Luaka Bop and is planning a sixth, said she does not worry that her culture might be misrepresented. “Music either stirs your heart or it doesn’t, regardless of where you’ve grown up,” she said. In Peru, at least, she believes that the respect she and her music have achieved through her relationship with the U.S. label has been well worth the risk of mixing culture and commerce. Indeed, in the past decade, its influence on Peruvian popular music and appreciation throughout Peru have grown rapidly. Novalima, one of Peru’s most commercially successful rock groups, proudly describes itself as heavily indebted to Afro-Peruvian music. A man playing the cajón graces the cover of their latest album. Baca said she believes the music of her ancestors will live on in the generation that succeeds her. “Today I can see high school kids learning all the old songs and dances, and I know that they won’t have to disappear,” she said. Abroad, however, Luaka Bop’s impact is less clear. As a purveyor
despite its size — it operates out of a one-room office on Manhat-
of foreign musical traditions to American listeners, Luaka Bop can-
tan’s Lower East Side — has done a great deal for the promotion of
not ignore its role as a cultural agent. After all, by choosing the songs
under-recognized music around the world. Luaka Bop compilations
that appear on a compilation like “The Soul of Black Peru,” they in-
spread the musical wealth of places like Brazil, Cuba, and Mali,
evitably shape international perceptions of a culture whose scope far
among others. Although they contain notes with historical back-
exceeds that of a single CD.
ground on the musical culture of the country, Evelev says the label’s core mission is to spread good music, not to educate. “We’re not the Smithsonian,” he joked. Every well-intentioned label described by the intellectually vacuous term “world music” faces this conundrum. Because of the conve-
Alon Harish is a freshman in Branford College. He worked as an intern at Luaka Bop Records in the summer of 2008.
28 CULTURE Spring 2010
The Eroded Face of Afghanistan Archaeologist Zemaryalai Tarzi seeks the country’s history in its sandstone cliffs. By Rae Ellen Bichell
F
or most of the year, Dr. Zemaryalai Tarzi is a professor of ar-
tions with his home country were once tumultuous. When he started
chaeology at the University of Strasbourg, France. In the sum-
excavations as a student with a French team, Afghanistan was still
mer — excavating season — he becomes an “Afghan Indiana
a kingdom and France had sole rights to excavate in the country. A
Jones,” a nickname bestowed on him last year by the BBC in refer-
professor for many years, he held the title of Director of Archaeology
ence to his tireless search for the long-lost Third Buddha of Afghani-
and Preservation of Historical Monuments of Afghanistan, and also
stan.
of Director General of the Archaeology Institute of Kabul. “When I
Tarzi has conducted excavations in the Bamiyan province for de-
left, I was the big deal, the head.” Following the Soviet invasion in
cades, managing teams of workers and students at a site that was, in
1979, however, Tarzi was forced to flee to France in the trunk of a car.
the sixth and seventh centuries, a thriving post along the Silk Road. At 71, Tarzi’s career has spanned turbulent decades in Afghanistan’s history, during which he has earned a name as the father of Afghan archaeology and one of the only people, he says, to whom “politics
can serve as a slogan for a “ Archaeology country. It can be venerated.”
don’t matter much.” But with tribal tensions, high illiteracy rates,
— Dr. Zemaryalai Tarzi
and foreign troops patrolling the countryside, wiping complex political cobwebs from Afghanistan’s past is an uphill battle.
Turbulent Conditions
During his exile, everything Tarzi knew in his home country turned upside-down. “Kabul was destroyed, people disappeared, everything was magnified — the poor became poorer, the rich richer,
Tarzi has contributed extensively to Afghanistan’s cultural preser-
and everything razed. It was worse than Stalingrad.” Archaeology
vation, recovering some of what the Taliban tried to erase. “Archae-
suffered huge blows. “In this case, you have no patience, time, or
ology can serve as a slogan for a country. It can be venerated,” he
thoughts for objects of art,” he said, particularly when Russian sol-
said. Tarzi has dedicated his life to uncovering his country’s buried
diers loot the museums for gold objects.
cultural treasures. “It’s my excavations that have yielded the most
Even now, conditions for cultural preservation are less than ideal.
information on Afghanistan’s Buddhist past,” he said. “Before me, there weren’t sites excavated officially. It was more of a free-for-all.” Tarzi may have a place in Afghanistan’s history now, but his rela-
Azdhar, known as the Valley of the Dragon, was the site of Bamiyan’s fabled Buddhas until their wholesale destruction in 2001. (Courtesy Alessandro Monsutti)
CULTURE 29
the yale globalist Afghanistan currently houses troops from 47 different countries, with 107,000 more slated to be sent this year by the United States and others. “There are bombs, everything is so extreme,” said Tarzi. “The world is becoming crazy.” It is this violence which put a spotlight on the importance of Tarzi’s excavations. In March 2001, the Taliban began obliterating all idols as violations of Muslim sharia law. Among the victims of this rampage were two 130-foot-high colossal Buddhas, which at one point housed up to 5,000 monks in surrounding niches set within the cliffs. The move was a cultural and archaeological disaster and a widely publicized example of the Taliban’s fanaticism. Far away, in exile in France, Tarzi’s years of work on the site had a protective effect. Tarzi had inserted steel reinforcements into the cliff to stave off natural erosion and shifting. As a result, it took the Taliban four days of continuous shelling to reduce the site to rubble. maybe a side of egotism. “Have you seen the movie Saving Private
Viewed from the former Buddha’s eye level, Bamiyan holds some of Afghanistan’s more important Buddhist sites, as well as a population of Hazaras historically at odds with Tarzi’s Pashtun tribe. (Courtesy Alessandro Monsutti)
Ryan?” he asked as he described the event. “I was compared to the
much more interesting than the Buddha. I am much more concerned
man who saved Private Ryan. But instead of saving a soldier, I was
with the grottoes at the bottom of the cliff,” he said, referring to mu-
saving the artifacts of Afghanistan.”
rals, clay figurines, and thatch huts which proved that the site was
Feats like these have earned Tarzi his reputation for tenacity, and
actually much older than previously accepted.
Against the Grain
His contribution to the national museum has been integral in
Since 2002, Tarzi has received much attention for his search for the
restoring the country’s heritage, but Tarzi and the government fre-
Third Buddha of Bamiyan, a third and final colossus described in Chi-
quently do not see eye-to-eye. Attempting to restore national pride,
nese accounts and somehow hidden from view. At a predicted 1,000
the government now wants to rebuild the fallen Buddhas, but Tarzi
feet long, it could potentially be the largest Buddha in existence, but
is against the proposal. “I want to debunk this view that restoring
Tarzi’s take on it differs from that given in the news. To him, the lost
cultural heritage comes with rebuilding. Why not then rebuild the
Buddha may be the glamorous face of Afghan archaeology and an
pyramids, just because we can?”
enticing story for international media, but finding its location is not
To Tarzi, even the site’s designation as a UNESCO World Heritage
the core of what he does. “The people who give me money want me to
Site is not much more than empty publicity. “UNESCO? No, no, no,
find the Third Buddha, but when I work, I lead a scientific research
they don’t do anything,” he said of the NGO responsible for funding
team,” he said, hinting at the discrepancy between how the world
another team of excavators in the region under Japanese supervision.
sees of archaeology and how it is actually practiced. “What I find is
Tarzi has similar feelings about “Hidden Treasures of Afghanistan,”
At the foot of Bamiyan’s largest cliff, the Oriental Monastery endured wholesale destruction by the Taliban in 2001, and is now the site of one Tarzi’s excavations. (Courtesy Zemaryalai Tarzi)
30 CULTURE Spring 2010
an exhibit of Afghan artifacts that toured the US last year. To Tarzi, the show was little more than a “political exhibit.” “I was against the objects ever leaving Afghanistan,” he said.
Another Reputation A purist and a traditionalist, Tarzi claims detachment from politics and jealousy. According to Yale professor of anthropology Alessandro Monsutti, the real picture may be different. Afghanistan’s long history of fragmentation and tribal warfare causes locals to see any attempt at cultural reconstruction as political manipulation. This is especially true for Tarzi, who comes from a powerful family linked to the former monarchy and whose relatives include an ambassador, a representative to the United Nations, a professor at the U.S. Marine Corps University, and Soraya Tarzi, late Queen of Afghanistan. “The elite are interested in fostering a national identity, but the Buddhist past is probably not relevant to the Afghan people,” said Monsutti. “They don’t even know what a Buddha is. Even the statues don’t represent a pre-Islamic time. For them, it’s a couple of kings, local folklore.” The centuries-old history of friction between contending tribes, while recent in comparison with the ancient Buddhas, is much more real for the inhabitants of the region. Tarzi sticks to his objectivity: “I dig for archaeology and for history. It’s not political for me.” But his reputation precedes him in Bamiyan. Tarzi is a powerful Pashtun in a region populated by the historically suppressed Hazaras. Antagonism between the two groups is such that the province holds annual celebrations of local leaders who resisted the Pashtuns, while Tarzi digs away nearby. “Tarzi probably can’t imagine that he could be seen as an emissary of the Old Regime, which the locals hate,” said Monsutti, “but there is so much suspicion, fed by decades of war. He’s not following a political agenda, but not one would believe that.” In a country where illiteracy may be as high as 72 percent, the disconnect between scholars and locals means that efforts to foster a national identity will be difficult, particularly in rural areas like Bamiyan. Now at an age when most retire, Tarzi is still going strong. Besides conducting excavations every summer, he is also the president of the Association for the Protection of Afghan Archaeology, an association he co-founded with his daughter to promote Afghanistan’s 5,000-year old heritage. As for when he will stop, Tarzi said, “Maybe in four or five years, when I am done with my final volume.” Finished with two of four volumes, Tarzi waits for funding for the third. “I’m old, you know. I’m gaining weight,” he said. If Tarzi had his way, excavations would continue for centuries. Indeed, it may take much longer before the troops pull out, tribal tensions ease, and a consensus is reached about Afghanistan’s history. Regardless of old age and the political swirl around him, Tarzi will be on the case until his job is done, by the end perhaps a cultural relic himself.
Rae Ellen Bichell is a sophomore Anthropology major in Davenport College.
top: Shown on a visit to the former location of the Krakrak Buddha, Tarzi said, “The joy of discovery and the suffering of destruction are the daily lot of archaeologists.” (Courtesy Zemaryalai Tarzi) center: Before beginning excavations, Tarzi’s team of 169 workers gathers at the base of the Oriental Monastery’s Grand Stupa. (Courtesy Zemaryalai Tarzi) bottom: Now an empty hole in the cliff face, the Bamiyan Buddhas once housed thousands of monks in niches embedded in the cliffs. (Courtesy Alessandro Monsutti)
SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 31 the yale globalist
Robots that Care? For better or for worse, Japan looks to robots to fill the gaps that will soon be left by the world’s fastest aging population. By Monica Landy
S
PC101C measures a mere 13 inches in height and weighs just
resources is approaching.” Plenty of young people in less wealthy
over three pounds. With arms, legs, a torso, and a head, his
countries like the Philippines and Thailand would leap at an oppor-
miniature frame clearly resembles that of a human. He march-
tunity to move to Japan to work in high-demand professions such as
es, dances, and even responds to the human voice; on command,
nursing. But immigrant-wary Japan issues very few work visas each
SPC101C can check an email inbox or send a message to grandchil-
year, leaving an acute shortage of manpower available to care for the
dren halfway across the world. He is one of many robots being de-
country’s elderly. As an alternative, the Japanese government has
veloped to meet the needs of the world’s fastest aging society, Japan,
begun to invest substantially in the domestic robotics industry. Both
and his creators are confident that he will be an unmitigated success.
academic researchers and private robotics firms have been striving
But will SPC101C and his kin really be capable of providing necessary
to develop robots that will assist the elderly in their daily lives and
care to an aging nation, or will they be looked back upon as a foolish
perform jobs left unfilled due to labor shortage, nullifying the need to
and expensive flop?
admit immigrants from South East Asia.
In a desperate effort to avert demographic disaster, the Japanese
These investments are slowly paying off as the first such robotic
government has set a target to introduce robots into every household
products reach maturity. A model named Robovie-II leads the elderly
by 2015 and has flooded the domestic robotics industry with funding
around the supermarket, reminds them what is on their shopping
for years. But opinions within Japan differ dramatically from those
list, and makes suggestions for additional purchases. Saya, a robotic
of foreign experts, leaving a great deal of uncertainty as to what Ja-
teacher, is currently being tested in classrooms. According to Junji
pan’s robotic future might look like or what the costs of such a future
Matsuo, a representative of the robotics firm Tmsuk, Japan will soon
might be.
enjoy the services of receptionist robots, guide robots, surveillance
Robots versus Immigrants
robots, and rescue robots.
Japan’s elderly will constitute about one-third of the nation’s total
“We Should Always Try to Replace Humans ...”
population by 2025, according to Hiroe Kinoshita, a representative of
Japanese researchers and businessmen alike are optimistic about
Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry. This trend poses
how effective this strategy will be in dealing with the aging popu-
two great challenges for Japan: an unprecedented number of elderly in need of care as well as a shortage of Japanese who are fit to work. As Kinoshita put it, “The era of absolute shortage of human
above: An encounter between the Japanese public and Speecys Corporation’s latest project, SPC101C, on display. CEO and Founder Tomoaki Kasuga expects a warm welcome for his robot. (Courtesy Speecys Corp.)
32 SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY Spring 2010
lation. “I think that the robot will be the new platform for elderly
future of its people and is intended to have a significant impact on
people’s communication,” pronounced Tomoaki Kasuga, CEO and
their everyday lives. Yet thus far their opinions have been strangely
founder of Speecys Corporation. Kasuga has high hopes for his up-
absent. “One of the interesting things in the debate about robotics
coming SPC101C and believes that it will have a positive impact on
and aged care is how few voices there are from the perspective of
the lives of the elderly. “Generally, elderly people don’t use PCs or
people who are in nursing homes or assisted living facilities,” re-
mobile phones. Voice communication is much easier for them. My ro-
marked Sparrow disapprovingly. Despite this absence, experts do
bots can help elderly people, because they can send emails by voice,”
not hesitate to make their own predictions and assumptions. “This
he noted.
situation is similar to that of the car, or the cell phone, or the comput-
Professor Hiroshi Ishiguro, director of the Intelligent Robotics
er,” Ishiguro asserted. “In the beginning, people didn’t accept these
Laboratory at Osaka University, was even more enthusiastic and con-
things, they didn’t react to them well, but ultimately they cannot re-
fident than Kasuga. “We should always try to replace humans per-
fuse new technologies because technology develops new markets.
forming simple, mechanical tasks with robots,” he said. An adamant
The people never refuse new technologies.”
proponent of robotics, Ishiguro believes that robots will one day advance to the point of being indistinguishable from humans at first
Control + Z
glance, an assertion he’s attempted to prove by creating an incred-
Regardless of whether the Japanese public welcomes an increased
ibly realistic robot replica of himself named Geminoid. “Someday,”
presence of robots in society initially, the robots will need to prove
he said, “we are going to replace the workers in the factories with
themselves to be capable, productive, and effective in their roles lest
robots, and then robots will control the robots, and the people can
the enthusiasm of the public wane. “At a superficial level, clearly
have better jobs.”
there is a higher level of acceptance of robots” in Japan than else-
Robo-skepticism However, in the minds of many robotics experts from around the
where, said Sparrow, “but whether or not that acceptance can survive interaction with robots in important roles, that’s a much more open-ended question.”
world, Japan’s faith in a robotic solution is misguided. “We as roboti-
The example of the Aidu Chuo Hospital in Fukushima prefecture
cists are often arrogant,” asserted Professor Ronald Arkin, a robotics
demonstrates that the transition to a robot-saturated work environ-
expert at the Georgia Institute of Technology. “We assume our tech-
ment may not be as smooth as Japan’s avid robotics proponents imag-
nology is the best solution without even really investigating what
ine. In 2006, the hospital welcomed a receptionist robot and two guide
people really want and need.” Professor Robert Sparrow of Monash
robots, all produced by Tmsuk, to its staff. Designed to greet visitors,
University in Australia agreed, stressing that often the most impor-
carry their baggage, and direct them vocally and with touch-screen
tant aspects of robotics are the human factors. Yet, he said, “a lot of
maps, these robots received a warm welcome, especially considering
the people doing the research and making the claims about robotics
that their new home was the first private hospital in the world to em-
are actually not sociologists, they’re not gerontologists — they’re en-
ploy such devices. However, according to a current employee at Aidu
gineers.”
Chuo Hospital, the robots are no longer there. “The robots are being
Sparrow remains skeptical about the practicality and efficiency of employing robots in homes and in the workplace. “If you’re going to test a robot, you need to look at what happens after all the engi-
repaired now,” she said. “They needed a new function.” She did not know when — or if — they would return. The debate concerning Japan’s demographic chal-
neers have gone home, it’s been in your facility for a year, you’ve
lenges and whether or not robotics can provide an effec-
spilled a few cups of tea on it, and nobody’s got the instructions
tive solution is marked by optimism in Japan, skepticism
anymore. That’s the point at which you analyze a robot.” Both professors expressed concern about the moral implications of entrusting the care of the elderly to robots. Arkin worried that prolonged interaction with robots could delude seniors. “These robots maintain the illusion of life, and this may cause the elderly to not understand the real
abroad, and a lack of input from the elderly, whose opinion matters most. Yet, even if the elderly enthusiastically embraced the robotics program, would that be enough to justify Japan’s robot strategy? “I just think people should think about their own experience with comput-
world or what’s going on in society,” he said. Com-
ers,” said Sparrow. “How much irritation,
menting on SPC101C, Sparrow was troubled by simi-
how much frustration, how much time you
lar anxieties: “Designing technology on the basis that
spend taking the bloody thing to be repaired,
we want to trick people into thinking that they’re talk-
and how many computers get thrown away.
ing to a person instead of a machine, I would think that’s
Think about that and then think about what it
ethically problematic.” Japan’s robot strategy was sparked by concern for the
According to Tomoaki Kasuga, CEO and founder of Speecys Corporation, SPC101C will be “the new platform for elderly people’s communication,” as it is vocally operated and therefore easy to use. (Courtesy Speecys Corp.)
would be like to have Microsoft Word feeding you.” Indeed, in the real world, you can’t always count on pressing “Edit: Undo.” Monica Landy is a freshman in Trumbull College.
PERSPECTIVES 33 the yale globalist
The Hunt for Al-Bashir The President of Sudan has evaded standing trial for the genocide in Darfur. What does this mean for global justice? By Sibjeet Mahapatra
I
magine a world where a man wanted for murder can
the African Union (AU) joined the Sudanese govern-
be president of a nation of 42 million people.
ment in condemning the warrant as an expression of
“Now imagine a world where that man is wanted
western hegemony. China and Russia have also voiced
in not one but 110 countries, for not only the crime of
their support for al-Bashir. An official message on the
murder but also those of rape, extermination, forcible
Chinese Foreign Ministry’s website described the war-
transfer, pillaging, and torture, and not only remains
rant as a “disruption” to the Sudanese peace process.
in high office but also plans to run for another term in
(Notably, the Chinese consume around two-thirds of
2010,” said Josh Rubenstein, a 30-year veteran of hu-
Sudan’s annual oil production.)
man rights policy and regional director for Amnesty
Does this mean that the ICC — an institution founded with the goal of ending impunity for even the most powerful perpetrators of atrocities — is doomed to fail?
International USA.
Days after the release of the warrant, the Sudanese government expelled most of the non-political interna-
Welcome to the world of Omar al-Bashir.
tional aid organizations working in Darfur, including
On March 4, 2009, Luis Moreno-Ocampo, head pros-
Oxfam International, Médecins sans Frontières, and
ecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC), is-
Mercy Corps. Al-Bashir accused the organizations of
sued an indictment against President Omar Hassan
being “spies” and “thieves,” though he made sure to
al-Bashir of Sudan. Al-Bashir was charged with five
seize their assets before kicking them out of Sudan.
counts of crimes against humanity and two counts of
Almost a year after the warrant was issued, Omar
war crimes in the region of Darfur. The warrant placed
al-Bashir remains comfortably in power in Sudan. In
square blame for the conflict in Darfur, in which an es-
the months following the indictment, al-Bashir has not
timated 300,000 people have been killed, on al-Bashir
curbed his international travel, travelling to confer-
and his administration. Al-Bashir is the first head of
ences in Qatar, Egypt, Libya, and Eritrea.
state to be indicted by the ICC while in office. The
Does this mean that the ICC — an institution found-
warrant has been lauded by the international human
ed with the goal of ending impunity for even the most
rights community and supported by NATO and the Eu-
powerful perpetrators of atrocities — is doomed to
ropean Union.
fail?
The indictment has its opponents, too. The day the
“Absolutely not,” Rubenstein said firmly. “Sure,
warrant was made public, the permanent representa-
we haven’t gotten al-Bashir yet — we always knew
tive of Sudan to the United Nations lambasted the ICC
he wouldn’t come easily.” But even so, “the fact that
in the tiny, blue-walled press room at U.N. Headquar-
the international community has gotten to the point
ters. “This verdict does not deserve the ink used to
where it can hold a sitting head of state accountable
print it,” the ambassador said, pounding his podium.
for human rights violations marks an enormous mile-
“The message that the ICC has sent to the entire world
stone.”
is that it is a tool of imperialism and double standards.”
For now, al-Bashir is free and in power, and he will
Thousands of Sudanese marched in the capital
seek to extend his reign in the 2010 Sudanese elec-
Khartoum following the announcement of the war-
tions. The politics of race, religion, and oil make it
rant, rallying in support of al-Bashir. “Some Sudanese
unlikely that he will face trial at The Hague any time
don’t agree with al-Bashir’s politics, but at the end
soon. But the ICC has sent Omar al-Bashir a message:
of the day, they’re nationalists, and they will support
Watch out. When you leave your presidential com-
their leader against what they perceive as a patron-
pound, when you travel outside of Sudan for medical
izing and pro-Western system of justice, especially in
treatment, and when you attend conferences in other
the northern part of the country,” said Beatrice Mat-
nations, you are stepping into a world in which you are
egwa, a journalist with the U.N. who has spent four out
wanted for war crimes. Your days are numbered. We
of the past five years in Sudan. Darfur, where most of
know your game, and we will bring you to justice.
the violence has occurred, lies far to the west of Khartoum. Most of the member states of the Arab League and
Sibjeet Mahapatra is a freshman in Silliman College.
34 PERSPECTIVES Spring 2010
Journalism in China: A Memoir and a Future? For my family, stepping down the path of journalism is cause for fear as well as hope. By Kanglei Wang
M
y grandpa was a newspaper man. He grew up running barefoot
gates and guards who look at ID before letting you inside any build-
near Guilin, a town in southern China known for its thumb-
ings. I don’t work there, so I wasn’t allowed to enter. When I went
shaped mountains, and studied chemistry at college in Beijing. In the
back to Guilin, Grandpa’s hometown, the people who knew him had
late 1940s, infected by the idealism of his era, my grandpa decided
died. At the end of the summer, I went back to America, my questions
that other pursuits mattered more. He took his notebook and pen into
unasked.
the front lines of the Chinese Civil War and sent handwritten pages
Three months ago, I found out that Caijing Magazine underwent
of quick, accurate reporting back to Beijing. Later, after the found-
an upheaval: the editor-in-chief left, and over seventy percent of the
ing of the People’s Republic of China in 1949, he continued to write.
staff followed.
When the chief of Xinhua — a government-owned news agency and
It turns out that over the summer, as I wondered why we weren’t
the only officially sanctioned press in China at the time — needed to
reporting on the riots, Caijing had flown correspondents to Xinjiang,
be replaced, my grandpa stepped into politics.
only to be told by the magazine’s publisher and funder that Caijing
For a time, he oversaw the press of an entire nation. I still don’t
could not risk angering the government by publishing an indepen-
know exactly what happened in those hallowed meeting halls of Xin-
dent piece on the riots. The reporters were sent home. A few months
hua, but I do know that my grandfather’s time was short-lived. A few
later, the editor-in-chief left to work in freer spaces, and hopes to
months after he took the reins, the beginning throes of the Cultural Revolution hit Xinhua. Wealth and power were deemed dangerous emblems of capitalism, and almost everyone in positions of power was ousted. In 1976, my grandpa died of diabetes as a political prisoner in jail. I interned for a magazine in Beijing this summer, in part because I wanted to learn more about my grandpa, and in part because I want-
Shut your mouth, she means. Don’t let your alltoo-Americanized self get the best of you. Don’t talk about politics. found another financial magazine with different backers.
ed to see if I could be a writer, too. Before I left, my mom told me
The latest issue of Caijing — now under new leadership — began
the same thing she always tells me before I go to China: “Don’t do
with a letter from a former party official, commending Caijing’s past
anything stupid.” Shut your mouth, she means. Don’t let your all-too-
coverage of social issues. But the people responsible for that coverage
Americanized self get the best of you. Don’t talk about politics.
are gone. Chinese online forums questioned if Caijing closing meant
Caijing magazine, where I worked, has been touted as one of China’s most progressive. It reported the truth about SARS when the
“the death of Chinese journalism?” the question mark inserted, perhaps, as a sign of hope.
rest of Chinese media remained silent; it exposes government and
My mom doesn’t want me to do journalism. Both she and my dad
big business scandals and interviews people whose communities are
were sent from the city to work in the fields during the Cultural Revo-
being hurt by new Chinese development. But China’s information veil
lution as part of China’s educating-the-youth initiative; their parents
is ever-present. Caijing’s style is carefully rendered; only after the
were victimized because they spoke out. Yet, even in America, they
government-sanctioned “facts” are presented are Caijing’s indepen-
are defensive of China and offended by my questioning of Chinese
dent statistics or quotes added. While no opinion is stated directly,
policies. This is the story of many Chinese of their age. How can you
it is clear the reader — often a member of the upper crust of Chinese
convince a generation like theirs that an independent voice is impor-
society — should think for him or herself.
tant, perhaps essential, to growth, when all it has brought is punish-
Yet I was surprised last summer when, during the Uyghur riots in China’s Xinjiang region, Caijing reporting fell in step with all other
ment? My parents don’t want me to follow in my grandfather’s footsteps, because his disappeared.
government-controlled media outlets in China, who were sent scripted facts to broadcast. I was disappointed. Where was Caijing’s purported progressiveness? Its independence? Its voice? Nowadays, the Xinhua compound in Beijing looks like a fortress, or a jail. It has barracks of apartments for its reporters and steel
Kanglei Wang is a junior Environmental Studies major in Branford College.
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